


Decisions

by Classic_Vision



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Coming of Age, F/M, Humor, Romance, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-06-19 19:04:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15516498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Classic_Vision/pseuds/Classic_Vision
Summary: The reality of Spider-Man begins to weigh on Peter as he has to decide on the value of his identity and those around him.Takes place after the movie.





	1. Change

**Author's Note:**

> [Cover Art: click here](https://classic-vision.tumblr.com/post/177535196979/the-reality-of-spider-man-begins-to-weigh-on-peter)

“Hey Happy how's it going?” Peter answered the phone excited. It had been a couple of days since he left the new Avengers Tower, but it felt like longer. Which is why he got so enthusiastic when he saw Happy Hogan called.

_“Hey Peter. Look th-”_

“Thanks again for the ride the other day. The new tower is really cool. Wait, Mr. Stark isn't mad about me turning down the offer is he?”

_“Tony's not mad. H-”_

“So that really was a test, right? Because I saw on the news there actually was a press conference that day. But he got engaged.”

_“Pete-”_ Happy tried.

“Oh crap! Did he want me there for that?”

_“No. I-”_

“So then I'm still an Avenger? Sorta. Right? Happy did he say any-”

_“Hey kid, listen!”_

“My bad,” Peter said, embarrassed. He a tendency to ramble on when talking about the Avengers. But they were superheroes, and he was one of them. He couldn’t help but geek out a little.

_“Everything is cool,” Happy said. “I'm just calling to let you know that we're all still on the same team. Call if you need anything.”_

“Will do Ha-“

_“Not everything, just anything. Get it?”_

Peter gave a small laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, even more embarrassed.

“Got it.”

_“Good. Now enjoy school while you can. You don't wanna work for a living, trust me.”_

“I'll keep that in mind Happy. Thanks”

* * *

Peter’s mood changed as soon as he got to Midtown Tech.

There was a lot to feel good about. The sun was rising, the weather was cool, and Peter was still enrolled in school. Sure, he wasn’t a full member of the Avengers but, he was still Spider-Man and he got the bad guy put in prison. Yet, he still felt bad.

He walked into school behind the large crowd of swarming kids. When he reached his locker, he held off on opening it, taking a moment to look around. The hallways of students were missing an obvious face.

He sighed, pulling out his phone.

Liz was the most beautiful, generous, and intelligent person in their school. And during her senior year, she had to move away because her father, the Vulture, was a villain that Spider-Man put away.

Peter got out his phone and scrolled through the contacts until he landed on _Liz_.

He thought so many times about telling her the truth. That he was Spider-Man, and he had her dad arrested. But every time he tried he just ended up chickening out and sounding stupid.

_You’ve reached Liz. Please leave a message. Thanks!_

“Hey Liz, it’s Peter Parker, again. Just calling to say sorry, again. For the, you know. Well anyways, just give me a call when you get this message, or one of the others. Uh, alright, bye.”

That didn’t come out how Peter wanted it to at all. It sounded kind of…

“Creepy”

Peter jumped at the sound of the voice. He turned to see Michelle Jones leaning against the lockers, laughing at how startled he was.

“Relax Parker, you’re safe. If I were to get dangerous with you…”

MJ’s grin fell and her eyes narrowed. She moved off the lockers and stepped in closer to Peter until their faces were only centimeters apart.

“You would know it.”

And without another word, she continued to make her way down the hall.

Peter didn’t know what the hell that meant but, it was creepier than his voicemail she just criticized. What was really creepy was how Michelle always seemed to pop up out of nowhere. He was going to have to train his Spider Sense just to be aware of her.

“Hey bro!”

Peter turned to see his best friend, Ned Leeds.

“Oh, hey Ned. Did you just call me ‘bro’?”

“Yeah bro. I was bingeing on some superhero movies last night, and it dawned on me, our bro language is weak. If we’re gonna finish this year off strong we gotta step into the new age. We still call each other ‘dude’ like some high school script written by people who were teenagers in the 80’s.”

Peter laughed. Lately, Ned was on a mission to make sure Spider-Man became the coolest superhero.

“Look _dude_ ,” Peter said, getting his books out of his locker. “Plenty of people still call each other ‘dude’. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned so far this year, it’s that it’s best to be yourself.

Ned scoffed, as they started to make their way down the hall. “Yeah easy for you to say. That’s the cliché lesson in the superhero script. Us normal kids gotta keep up to date.”

“Enough with the script talk. It’s starting to sound creepy.”

“Sup losers,” Flash Thompson, said bumping his way through Peter and Ned. If there was ever a reason that Peter wanted to use his powers outside of his suit, Flash was the reason. He constantly went out of his way just to let Peter and Ned know they aren’t ‘cool’.

“You’re on the academic team with us, Flash.” Peter yelled down the hall after him. “Hope you realize that.”

Flash stopped in his tracks to respond, “What, so I have to be a 6’2” ‘jock’ to know a loser when I see one? This ain’t some 80s movie, dorks. Welcome to our generation.” Flash laughed before turning a corner in the hall.

“Ugh! First period hasn’t even started and school already stinks.” Peter fell against the nearest locker, wondering if things were just going to get more annoying.

Then the class bell rang.

“Crap”

“Later bro”

“Ned!”

* * *

_Tick, tick_

Peter leaned over his desk and watched the ever-slow-moving clock while tuning-out his 7th period history teacher.

_Tick, tick_

In only a matter of seconds, he’d be free from school and back to his Spidey life.

_Tick, tick_

It felt like the clock was moving slower and the ticks were getting louder.

_Tap, tap_

Now there was another noise.

He looked to his right and saw MJ tapping her pencil against her desk. She was sitting up straight in her chair, looking more composed than him, but she was staring at the clock too.

Had she always been sitting next to him in this class? It was hard to tell. MJ had the ability to disappear and reappear. He never saw her coming, but she always seemed to be right there.

MJ turned her head and met his eyes. She looked bored but looked really nice today. She had on a fitted blue jean jacket with black and white sneakers that matched her shirt. He wondered what she had planned for after school, she never talked much about her personal life.

Weird girl. Weird, creepy, cute girl. Could someone creepy be cute? Maybe that’s why he never questioned her randomness. She was a mystery though.

Finally, the final bell rang

Startled, Peter knocked his book off his desk. He reached down but a hand was already on it. He looked up slowly to meet MJ’s eyes while she handed him the book.

“Surprised, Parker?” she said, nonchalant.

“Thanks Michelle. No it’s just, people usually aren’t so friendly at the end of the day.” He gestured to the rest of the kids running out of the classroom.

It’s like a jailbreak,” she joked. “You should run and don’t look back. Unless you’re helping a friend.”

Peter smiled. That was probably the nicest thing he thought she ever said to him. It was like her whole tone changed from this morning when she was mocking him. He wasn’t even sure how to react.

“My friend’s call me Peter, Michelle.”

“Then I guess you better start calling me MJ,” she shrugged. “Bye Peter.”

He watched her walk out. “Bye MJ,” he said softly, still surprised.

Weird girl

“Duude!” Ned ran up.

“Whoa Ned,” Peter stepped back, “Too close.”

“Duude!”

“What are you talking about? And I thought you were trying 'bro' now?”

“Sorry but this was a total 'dude' moment,” Ned whispered. “You and MJ dude. Why didn't you saying something was going on?”

“Because there's nothing going on, dude,” Peter whispered back.

“First Liz now MJ,” Ned said, amazed. “This superhero script is really working out for you.”

“Just come on,” Peter said, dragging them out of the classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been on a Spider-Man kick lately and this is the result. Things will get more serious next time, but wanted to start off light. Hope you enjoyed.


	2. Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be clear, there is no 'Karen' in this story to be the voice of Peter's suit. I like the idea of that being in the 'Iron' suit and the normal suit would just be Peter relying on his powers. Also, this makes a better opportunity for our 'Guy in the Chair'

The best part about being Spider-Man was the freedom. The freedom to do what other humans couldn’t.

He swung from one building, then another until he got enough momentum and released his grip on the web to launch himself high in the air. He did a backflip and cheered as he swung from another building until he landed on a rooftop.

Being Spider-Man was a break from being Peter Parker.

It’s not that Peter didn’t enjoy his own life, but it was normal. When he was Spider-Man, he was better than normal. He was in his own world of action and adventure.

The buzzing feeling in his pocket made him break from his thoughts. He looked at his phone screen to see the caller.

_Aunt May_

Peter sighed and answered the call.

“Hey Aunt M-“

_“Peter, do you know what time it is?”_

“Uh yeah, It’s a little after 6.”

_“Which means it’s almost 7. We agreed you’d be home by dinner.”_

“I know Aunt May I’m on my way home now.”

_“Where are you now? Do they have guns?”_

“No Aunt May.”

The moment May caught Peter in his spider suit, she went on a huge rant. He couldn’t blame her; her only nephew had been lying and keeping a huge secret from her. Not to mention the fact that through the news, she knew how much danger he had been in recently.

“I’m on top of the library by our building.” He looked around, trying to give more details to assure her he was safe. “There’s a couple riding bikes, a guy with a hotdog stand, a woman and a little boy, probably her son, coming out of the library. He’s trying to hide from her that he’s picking his nose, now he’s wiping it on the…ew! Make sure you don’t have to check out any books today.”

_“Peter, I’m not in the mood for jokes.”_

“No, I’m totally serious! He put it right on the doorknob. I know it was intentional too because he had to stand on his toes to it.”

_“Well there you go. You want to be a hero so bad, go save the people from the icky.”_

“Yuck! I mean, Spider-Man handles more important things than that.”

_“Like what, guns?”_

“There are no guns out here Aunt May,” he tried to keep his voice down, not wanting to upset her anymore. “Look I’m on my way home, alright.”

 _“Alright,”_ she said, quietly, before hanging up.

Peter sighed. So much for freedom. Peter Parker and Spider-Man were starting to share the same life. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

* * *

Peter always felt weird about sneaking into his own home. He was pretty good at getting to the apartment with a couple of quick swings without being noticed. But if anyone ever did notice him, news would breakout either about where Spider-Man lives, or that Spider-man was about to rob somebody. Neither of those would be good news.

Just before dinner time, he made it back to the apartment and quietly opened the window to crawl inside. Even though Aunt May already knew his secret, he still preferred her to see him dressed normal and not in his spider suit. He dropped to the floor in the middle of the room and took off his mask.

“Um, Hello!”

Yeah, he really needed to work on his Spider Sense.

“Aunt May,” Peter spun around to see his aunt sitting on his bed with her arms crossed, angry. “What are you doing in my room?”

“Better question,” she stood to face him, “Why are you still sneaking in our home?”

“Uh, it’s quicker than the elevator?” Peter tried to joke, but May’s expression didn’t change. “Ok sorry. I guess I’m just used to sneaking in by now.”

“Ouch.” May walked pass him into the living room and dropped to the couch. She looked more upset than angry now.

“Come on Aunt May,” Peter walked over and took a seat next to her. “We talked about this. I have to patrol the city.”

May adjusted her glasses but kept her gaze at the floor. “You know, I didn’t ask to raise a kid with radioactive genetics.”

Peter recalled the day he got his powers from the accident in the lab. After May caught him in his costume, he told her the whole story about how he became Spider-Man. Still, even though he had the powers for a while now, it felt so surreal that the whole incident happened to him.

“And I didn’t ask to get the powers,” he said. “But it happened, and I have to help people with them. It’s only right.”

“Well hell Peter,” May threw her arms up, looking up at him. “Who gets bit by a spider? Most people knock them off the second they feel them.”

“The little guy was sneaky.”

May held stare for as long as she could, until she broke into a laughter.

Peter laughed too. It had been days since he got his aunt to smile. It was a good sight.

“Well,” May spoke up, regaining her composure, “You have been keeping your promise about limiting your patrolling hours.”

He nodded. “Patrol after school till dinner, then second patrol until 10. The Avengers handle all the big stuff. Other than the Vulture thing, I’m just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

“Good.” May reached over to rub his head affectionately. “Because you’re all I got.”

“Right. So, what’s for dinner?”

“Oh, crap!” May shouted. She looked over at the empty kitchen and turned back, giving Peter an innocent smile. “You up for Pizza?”

* * *

“I could’ve used you earlier.” Peter said, on his mask intercom while swinging through the city. “Patrol is boring in the afternoon.”

After pizza and some TV with May, he was back on patrol for the night. He only had an hour until curfew but at least now he had his ‘Guy in the Chair’ with him.”

 _“Sorry bro,”_ Ned said, though his own headset from his house. _“I still got indefinite detention for joking about looking at porn during the dance. And I think they still suspect I actually did it.”_

Peter laughed. “I still can’t believe that was the only line you could come up with.”

 _“Says the superhero who gets his identity revealed every 20 minutes,”_ Ned joked, _“By the way, how's May taking it?”_

Peter’s laughter died. He came to a stop on rooftop by Delmar’s Deli.

“She's calmed down some...” Peter started to pace around. “So, it's getting better but, there's still this weird drift now. Man, I don't think things are ever gonna be like they were.”

There was a pause in the conversation. It was unusual because Ned always had something to say. Peter was about to speak up but stopped when he heard Ned’s tone change.

_“Peter, things aren't going to be like they were. That's what it means to be superhero. Everything changes now.”_

It was like a reality check. Since he got his powers, life as Spider-Man had been moving so fast for Peter, he never got the time to stop and think about what would happen if his family and friends did find out his identity. He felt like being Spider-Man already had hurt one family in particular.

 _“Dude, I know what you’re thinking,”_ Ned said. _“Don't beat yourself up. Liz was a good girl, but her dad was dirty. You did the right thing.”_

“I guess.” Peter leaned over the edge of the rooftop, looking out into the night sky. “But, sometimes I wonder...”

There was another pause in the conversation. Again, Ned was the one who broke it.

_“Alright doesn't look like any action tonight. Why don't we both just get some rest?”_

“Yeah, that’s…wait!” A jolt went through Peter’s mind, buzzing with images of his surroundings. “I'm feeling something.”

_“What, is it the Spider Sense? That's so cool!”_

“I think it's coming from....” Peter looked down at the deli below him. Someone in a ski mask was creeping up on Delmar. “There!”

Delmar was locking up the store for the night and stopped when he heard a gun being loaded.

“Don’t move!” The man behind him said. “Now hand over those keys.”

“Don’t think so.”

In a split second, the gun was webbed up and thrown away. The man in the ski mask, along with Delmar, looked up amazed at the red and blue figured that dropped in front of them.

"Sorry buddy, the shop's closed,” Peter said. “But, McDonalds is still open if you’re seriously that hungry.”

“Spider-Man!”

The man in the ski mask tried to run but in two quick shots, Peter had him webbed in to the ground. He turned to a confused looking Delmar.

“Your sandwiches must really be good.”

“Best in Queens…” he said.

Peter wanted to agree, but he had to stay focused.

“Alright, let's get the police over here.”

“I'm on it Spider-Man,” Delmar said, unlocking the store, “And for now on, sandwiches on the house.”

 _“For life?”_ Ned nearly squealed, _“Dude, tell him I'm here!”_

“No can't blow our cover,” Peter tried to whisper.

“What's that?” Delmar asked.

Peter tried to play it off as a cough and deepened his voice. “Uh, nothing good sir. I...” he stopped when something caught his eye. “There's more!”

Delmar followed where Peter was pointing. Two more robbers in ski masks where inside the store at the register.

“Oh no. The first one must have been a decoy,” Delmar said.

Peter ran inside, startling the robbers. They ran out the back with Peter right on their tail.

 _“I’m sending a notification signal to the police,”_ Ned said. _“Go get em’ Spidey.”_

While running, Peter shot a web out and caught one of the robbers easily. The other robber turned the corner down the street. Peter shot a web on the side of a building and swung around the corner, gaining speed.

The robber found himself stuck in a dead-end alley. He pulled out a gun, which Peter webbed away quickly.

“Give it up,” he said to the robber, who was holding the bag of cash from the deli. “There’s nowhere to go.”

The robber backed into the wall and put his free hand up in plead. "Wait man! I can’t go to jail. I got a wife and a kid."

Peter stopped dead in his tracks.

He looked in the man’s eyes and couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. Still, a wife and kid was something he put a man away from before. He thought about Liz and the dance. His stomach tightened.

_“Peter, you good?”_

He heard Ned, but didn’t answer him. He had to focus.

Peter raised his hand, ready to web up the robber and send him to jail. But he hesitated.

“You're a criminal!” he yelled. “This is armed robbery. Someone could’ve got hurt, or, or…”

“I only do this for them!” the robber interrupted, “Everything I do is for them. But I'll change. I want to be better for my family. Just give me a chance,” he pleaded. “They need me.”

Peter froze. So many things were going through his head. He didn’t know what to do.

_“Ok, I tracked your new location from your intercom. I'm re-notifying the police right now. Web him up.”_

Peter didn’t respond. He dropped his arm and stood to the side, letting the robber run.

_“Peter, you got him?”_

The robber didn’t say anything when he ran by. He just ran to the end of the alley.

_“PETER!”_

A large amount of web shot out of Peter’s wrist, trapping the thief to the ground, along with the stolen money.

A loud siren went off with blue and red lights filling the streets. Peter fled the scene.


	3. Distraction

_Liz_

Peter stared at the contact on his phone screen as he walked through the hallways at school. She had been on his mind since last night when he stopped the robbers at Delmar’s Deli. One of the robbers had a family at home, or so he said. Peter had no way of telling whether the guy was lying or not, but he did know he had put away a father before, Liz’s father.

The phone light dimmed, reminding him how long he had been procrastinating calling her. All he really wanted to know was if she was doing alright.

He continued down the hall only being brought out of his thoughts when his phone screen went black. He was about to wake it up, until he bumped into someone. Her book fell between them, along with both of their phones that thankfully did not crack.

“Sorry about that,” Peter said, quickly bending down to pick on of the phones. “I should really watch where I’m going…”

He stopped talking the second he saw what was on screen. Displayed on the phone, that clearly wasn’t his, was an article. The article had a picture of Delmar with the headline _Spider-Man Saves Local Deli._

“You’re a snooper, Parker.”

His head shot up at the familiar voice.

“MJ, hey! I wasn’t snooping.” He handed her back her phone and then picked up her book, handing it to her with another apology. “And I thought you were gonna call me Peter now?”

“Well that was a _Parker_ move.” MJ put her phone away and then handed Peter the other phone that fell. “And with each call, it gets worse. Quit while you’re behind.”

Peter looked down at his phone and then back up to MJ, realizing what just happened. She had looked at his screen too. “Now who’s the snooper?” he mocked.

“Still you,” she replied, with a straight face. “I’m just observant.”

He blinked a couple times, processing the explanation. “What’s the difference?”

“Snoopers are losers. Later, Parker.” She walked off before he had a chance to respond. Peter watched her disappear down the hallway.

Weird girl

“Dude, what happened to you last night?”

Peter jumped, startled by Ned who just popped up. He _needed_ to work on that Spider Sense, everything was catching him off guard.

“Dude, keep your voice down,” Peter said, pulling Ned down the hall with him.

“I saw in the report that all the guys got arrested,” Ned whispered, “So why didn’t you answer me last night. I even called your phone.”

Peter pushed his hair back. He knew this conversation was coming and he had been dreading it. Truth was, he didn’t know how to explain it himself.

“Hey, it doesn’t really matter now. Like you said, they’re all arrested.”

“You good?” Ned asked.

“Yeah, man. Oh by the way.” Peter looked around real quick, making sure no one was listening before he leaned in to whisper more. “MJ was reading about Spider-Man.”

“She was?” Ned nearly shouted, before catching himself and going back to whisper. “Told you, dude. The superhero script is about to go into a new arc.”

Peter wanted to tell Ned he was crazy. That it was just a news article and didn’t mean anything. But he had to admit, having fans would be cool. If they were fans. Who knew what people thought about him.

* * *

 

_Clang_

Silence filled the air, because MJ had just sat her lunch tray in front of Peter and Ned, and actually sat down with them.

Needless to say, the boys were speechless. For everyday of the school year, MJ sat at the same table as them, but she never actually sat with them. She would always come to lunch just to read a book at the opposite end of the table. After the first couple weeks of the school year, Peter gave up on trying to talk to her at lunch. Her only forms of communication seemed to be her left or right middle finger, depending on what mood she was in. And after the last couple of days, he didn’t know where he stood with her.

But here she was sitting in front of Peter, with questionable cafeteria chili, as if it was normal. He was speechless. He looked over at Ned, seeing his friend was just as stunned as he was. So the both just watched, until MJ looked up.

“Sorry we’re staring, aren’t we?” Peter tried to laugh it off, but it just made MJ look at him weird. “It’s just, we didn’t know you liked company. Right Ned?”

“I didn’t know she ate food.”

And now it was awkward.

Peter glared at Ned, trying to get him to stop the embarrassment. “Of course she eats food. She’s human.”

But Ned wouldn’t stop. “Have you _ever_ seen her eat?”

“She just likes to catch up with her reading at lunch.”

“Besides lunch. What about academic practice. You ever seen her snack on anything? Chips, candy…”

“Okay what about that time at the party?”

“What party?”

“The _only_ party. She ate toast.”

“Oh yeah,” Ned said, the memory dawning on him. “By the way, who eats toast at a party?”

“That’s not point! The point is…” Peter trailed off, remembering the topic of their conversation was right there. He tried to laugh it off. “Sorry MJ. You probably think we’re weird or something.”

MJ shrugged, “No more than usual. I was actually enjoying the debate. It was nail biter there for a minute.”

“Sorry. We’re just not used to-“

“Girls?”

“No! I mean, well, no…” he stuttered. And if he didn’t know any better, it looked like she was enjoying that. “But” he cleared his throat, “Welcome!”

“So, did you guys hear about Spider-Man saving Delmar’s Deli last night?” MJ said, switching the subject.

“Yeah.” Peter felt proud. “You keep up with Spider-Man?”

“I was more concerned with the sandwiches.”

And pride gone

“What do you think about superheroes MJ?” Ned asked, nudging Peter’s arm when she wasn’t looking. “They’re hot right?”

The conversation paused right there. MJ stopped eating, Peter palmed his face, and Ned’s eyes went wide at his own question.

“Wait, I mean-”

“No don’t stop there fan boy,” MJ teased, “Are you team Iron Man or Team Captain America?”

Peter laughed, it wasn’t often that MJ cracked jokes.

“It’s not like that,” Ned replied, “But, between the two, I go back and forth.”

“What!” Peter nearly yelled. “Dude, no. We’re both team Iron Man.”

“And whys that, Peter?” MJ asked.

She eyed him hard. It felt like she was staring into his soul, dragging out the truth. But he wasn’t about to tell her that he knew Iron Man and had worked with him, as Spider-Man.

"Uh…what about you MJ?” he asked, evading her question. “Do you like superheroes at all?”

She looked up for a minute as if she was thinking about his question, but she answered pretty quickly. “Spider-Man's alright, he did save you guys. Except you Peter, what happened to you that day?”

Somehow the topic went back to him. He was starting to sweat.

“What if Spider-Man did save you?!” Ned blurted out. “I mean, that'd be cool right?”

Peter was glad to have back up. He wasn’t prepared for MJ’s questions, but he also wasn’t prepared to hear MJ’s thoughts about Spider-Man. He saw her narrow her eyes at Ned.

“Spider-man would never save MJ,” he blurted out. “I mean, unless she needed him to.”

“Why would I need him to?” she asked.

“No, I don't mean _need_ to,” he tried to clarify. “I mean, if you _wanted_ him to.”

“Why would I _want_ him to?” she pestered.

“Because there might be danger.”

“And you assume I couldn't handle it?”

He felt his face heating up. “Sometimes we all need a little help, MJ.”

“What's the scenario?” she challenged.

Now he was frustrated. Challenge accepted.

“Okay! Let's say there's a super villain, a _green_ one. A green super villain who flies on a weird hover skateboard kinda thing. And he's evil! So evil, he doesn't even care about his own son. And he wants to get ya! Then would you want Spider-Man to save you?”

Peter nearly ran out of breath at his random scenario. Ned looked impressed, but Michelle looked unphased.

“Why would that ever happen?”

“Because we're in New York!”

She looked up in thought again, tapping her fork against her plate. “Hmm. I'd rather Iron Man come. He'd take care of the green skater.”

“What! What’s so great about Iron Man?”

“Because Iron-Man's more experienced, proven. Spider-Man hasn’t really been tested yet. But he’s cool, he saved our team, and the deli sandwiches.”

Peter wanted to argue, but it was a fair point. Spider-Man wasn’t as experienced as the other Avengers. And he couldn’t tell if she was a fan or not. But that that was typical MJ, she never revealed too much. He had to admit though, he wanted to learn more about her.

“By the way, Mr. Harrington asked me to round everybody up on the Academic Team. We got an announcement to make. Can you guys meet at 4?”

Ned shrugged. “Sure. I’ll be out of detention by then.”

“Peter?” she asked.

“Uh, actually I…”

He paused. He was saw MJ awaiting his response. She looked so calm, straight faced, uncaring of what answer he would give. But regardless, she was trying to be a good leader, like Liz.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Spider-Man had a day off.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”


	4. The News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too familiar with Decathlon or how it works. So I did a little research, and made some stuff up....enjoy!

There was no crime in Queens that afternoon, at least so far. Peter would look up from the park bench where he was sitting to scan the area every now and then. It was too early in the day for crime activity. Still, he was contemplating on not being Spider-Man for the whole day. It’s not that he didn’t want to be Spider-Man, it just felt like he had done enough recently.

Peter picked up his chemistry homework he had been working on and reviewed the lines. It had only about an hour after school and he was already finished with his all his homework for the day. Then again, he always finished his work quickly. Even with all the changes in his life, Peter had to admit, he was impressed with himself that he kept his grades up. And that was one of the things he loved about being Spider-Man, it wasn’t easy. School just came naturally to Peter. But when he got his powers he finally had something exciting in life. Without Spider-Man, where would the excitement come from?

After checking his phone to see the time, Peter zipped up his backpack and headed back to the school.

“Daddy!”

He stopped short when a little girl ran right pass him. She jumped into the arms of a man that he presumed to be a father.

“There’s my girl.” The man spun the little girl around as she giggled. “Did you miss me?”

Something hit Peter in the gut. Nothing was thrown at him, it wasn’t a punch, or anything external. It was guilt.

He couldn’t look anymore, he didn’t have time anyway. Without another thought, he continued his way back to the school.

* * *

“Any action, bro?” Ned asked. Once he got out of detention, Peter was there waiting for him so they could go to their academic team meeting. And Ned wasted no time and seeing what the lastest was on Spider-Man.

“Voice down, dude,” Peter whispered, “And no. I just went to the park for a bit to get some air. I don’t think I’m gonna do that today anyway.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

Peter was about to respond, but once he walked into the meeting room he was met with a bunch of surprise glances from his teammates. He was used to it, these days they were always surprised when he showed up.

“Peter?” MJ looked surprised too, he couldn’t blame her.

“Hey MJ, mind if I sit here?” He gestured to the chair next to her.

She shrugged her shoulders. “No assigns seats. Sit wherever you want.”

He complied and sat down, stumbling before he did so. He tried to laugh it off, MJ just rolled her eyes. Ned, from the seat on his right, gave him a subtle thumbs up.

Peter felt his phone buzz, sure it was Aunt May calling like she usually did around this time to remind him of the new curfew. Through his pocket, he silenced the phone. He turned his attention back to MJ, wanting to say something to her before the meeting started, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

“Sup people!” Flash Thompson strutted in the room. He had a towel around his neck, his hair looked like he just put a galleon of product in it, and his cologne filled the room to the point that people started covering their noses. “Hope I didn’t miss anything. Had to take an extra minute to get my look right. We got an image to uphold here as National Champions.” He stopped when something caught his eye, Peter. “Hey MJ, why is Parker in my seat?”

“It’s _Michelle_ , preppy. And there’s a seat down there.” She pointed to a chair at the opposite end of the table. “And crack a window while you’re at it.”

The other kids snickered as Flash went plopped down in the chair without another word. Peter was impressed. Most of the students didn’t have the tolerance to deal with Flash, but no one could shut people down effortlessly the way MJ could.

Mr. Harrington was the last to arrive. When he got there, he jumped right into it.

“Hey everybody, thanks for coming. I got some big news, good and bad. I’ll start with the bad news and just get it out of the way.” He readjusted his glasses and sat down and the head of the table. He sighed deeply, “Obviously, Liz isn’t here anymore, and it’s too late in the year to find a new member to fill in. So, we’ll just have to stick with the team we have, which is a championship team. I’m confident, you guys will continue the success from Decathlon.”

Flash scoffed and side eyed Peter.

Peter knew why. Because he wasn’t at decathlon. If only Flash knew the reason he wasn’t there was because he was too busy saving their butts. He didn’t let it bother him though. Flash was just more of a nuisance than anything.

“Now for the good news!” Mr. Harrington perked up, meeting every face in the room with a smile. “Because you won decathlon, we’ve been invited to a tournament, out on the west coast.”

The whole team erupted in chatter. After the National Championship, the team was supposed to be done for the year. No one expected a new competition, especially not out west.

“Now, now, relax.” Mr. Harrington tried to calm down the team, though it was obvious how excited he was himself. “It’s not exactly Malibu, but it will be in Anaheim. I don’t have all the details yet, but the USAD is trying to increase the popularity of academic competition for students. The tournament is more of an experiment to see how the students and faculty respond to a new style. It was originally set to just be a few schools branching from California, Washington, and Oregon. But because you are the national champions, we’ve been invited.”

“If we win do we get another trophy?” Ned asked.

“Not this time,” Mr. Harrington replied, bringing down the energy in the room. “But, winning team gets a free day at Disneyland.”

Everybody cheered. Applause went around, and fist pumps went in the air. Peter and Ned high fived each other. Almost everyone was happy, almost.

“Wait hold on!” Flash stood up and waved his arms to take all the attention. “I hate to be a party pooper,”

“Then don’t,” MJ said, causing the other kids to snicker at Flash again. Still, he didn’t let that stop him.

“Anyway, we _all_ didn’t win that championship.” He looked straight over at Peter. “Some of us did, but Penis Parker was a no show.”

“Language Flash!” Mr. Harrington yelled.

Flash put his hands up in defense. “Sorry sir. I just don’t see why we work hard and he keeps getting rewarded.”

Mr. Harrington stood up, fuming at Flash’s antics. But before he could say anything, Peter spoke up.

“Flash you’re right.” All eyes turned on Peter. Even Flash looked surprised. Peter smirked, “You are _so_ pooping on the party.”

All the kids bust out laughing. Flash was red faced and speechless, which was rare. What was even more rare, MJ was laughing. Peter actually made her laugh, and not at his expense. It was nice to see her genuinely smile.

“Alright that’s enough!” Mr. Harrington announced, cutting off all the noise. “Practice resumes next week, normal time. I’ll have more information on the tournament then.”

Not wanting to upset him any further, everyone quietly grabbed their stuff and headed out the door.

“Peter, hold on,” Mr. Harrington called out.

Peter complied. Ned gave him a quick look of grimace before walking out with the rest of the students. Flash made a point to smirk at him before heading out the door. The last one to leave was MJ. She didn’t make a face, it was blank. She simply just looked at him for a moment, perhaps out of curiosity, before she left.

Once everyone was gone, Mr. Harrington spoke up. “I’ll handle Flash about his inappropriateness. But he brings up a good point. You have a decision to make about whether you are going to commitment to this team.”

Peter figured that this conversation would happen sooner or later. He had to prove to Mr. Harrington and his teammates that he could be trusted again. “Yes sir. I’m done with the Stark internship. I won’t let you down again.”

Mr. Harrington narrowed his eyes. He seemed unsure of Peter’s response. Before Peter could say anything else, he put a hand on his shoulder. “Some decisions take time, Peter. Think about it.”

* * *

“Peter, what happened?” Ned asked, once Peter met up with him outside. “Don’t tell me you got in trouble because of Flash?”

“No, well sort of. Mr. Harrington is just worried about my commitment,” Peter replied. “A lot of good things are happening for the team and because I bailed on decathlon, he’s not so sure.”

Ned didn’t say anything for a while they walked. Peter hated the feeling of letting down everybody. The point of being Spider-Man was to help people. Somehow, it seemed to be causing trouble for other people lately.

“Alright, don’t take this the wrong way, because I hate Flash, but,” Ned took a deep breath, as if he couldn’t believe what he was about to say.

Peter stopped and looked at Ned, knowing what was coming. He really hated this feeling. Now he realized he had been letting his best friend down too.

“I’m just saying, it would be cool to go to Disneyland.”

Peter nodded and made a decision, one he had been contemplating on all day. “Yeah man. Spider-Man is taking a break.”

“Wait what?” Ned asked, caught off guard. “I didn’t say that.”

“Dude, I’m not done being Spider-Man. I’m just not gonna do it all the time. You know?”

Peter didn’t know if Ned understood what he was saying, he wasn’t so sure if he knew what he was saying himself. But he had been thinking about this all day. A break was needed.

“Well, you know I always got Spidey’s back,” Ned said, “I’m only a call away.”

“Oh crap! I gotta call back Aunt May.” Peter dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He navigated to the missed calls and froze. The name he saw wasn’t the one he expected.

“Peter, what is it?” Ned asked.

He showed the phone to his friend.

“Dude, Liz called.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts


	5. Conflicted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Larger chapter this time. A lot of key things happen here.
> 
> Also, I received a good question recently. To clarify, Infinity War has not happen in this story. This takes place after the Homecoming movie and only deals with those elements.

“Woo! This old lady’s still got it.” May cheered. They just left the bowling alley where she defeated Peter in two games. Their apartment was a few blocks away, and she was sure to be fist pumping in victory the entire walk home.

“I don’t think anyone considers you old, Aunt May. You got carded for nachos.” Peter laughed, remembering how startled she was when the clerk asked for her ID. Older men were always trying to flirt with Aunt May. It didn’t really bother him, he just thought it was funny seeing all their failed attempts. His Aunt had no interest in anyone. Not since Uncle Ben.

“Oh, he was just being nice.” May waved him off. “And was I right or what about bowling alley’s having the best nachos!”

“Definitely!” Peter rubbed his stomach and licked his lips, recalling the taste of the warm cheese. “I haven’t seen you pig out like that in ages,” he teased.

May shoulder bumped him playfully. “Hey, we’re all allowed to indulge once in a while.” She ran her fingers through her air, like she always did when something was on her mind. “I haven’t been bowling in over a year.”

Peter knew what she meant. There were quite a few things May used to do with Uncle Ben that she didn’t do as much of any more. Bowling was one of them. The last time he went bowling with them both, he was still a little kid. He normally didn’t bowl himself, but he thought it would be nice to spend some time with her over the weekend doing something he knew she’d enjoy.

“Well you sure but everyone in there to shame,” Peter said, trying to keep the mood light. “Strike after strike. I didn’t know what to do.”

May laughed and fist pumped again. “You know, when I was in high school I was actually on the bowling team?”

“Really? Well that explains it.”

“Yeah, good times.”

They walked down the next block in silence. It was a peaceful Sunday night, at least as peaceful as Queens could be. Cars going by, horns honking, and people yelling for taxis were about peaceful as it got in their city. Peter had taken the whole weekend to spend with May. It was nice, and to his surprise, Spider-Man didn’t seem to be needed.

“Peter,” May said, bringing him out of his thoughts, “Have you talked to that girl yet?”

He sighed, knowing she was talking about Liz. It was a little weird to talk about girls with his aunt. But he didn’t really have much of a choice. He needed advice and it was between her and Ned. Peter loved Ned, but he knew just as much about girls as he did.

“Not yet,” he admitted.

“It’s been _days_ Peter,” she stressed. “Look, I’m trying to give you your space on this, but trust me, you’re not supposed to keep a girl waiting. And that’s all you seem to be doing.”

That hurt. It hurt because it was true. Peter told May the whole situation with Liz and her dad the same day he got the text from her. One thing he appreciated about his aunt was that she never pressed on his personal life. She was the cool aunt that everybody wanted, but she was still his aunt. It only made sense that she would check on him about this matter. Like Ned, her response was that it wasn’t Peter’s fault and he did the right thing. Still, it didn’t make him feel any better.

“I know. It’s just, I never really thought about what I would say when I finally got a hold of her. I think I should probably stay away from telling her I put her dad in jail.”

“Yeah, that will turn a girl off,” May joked, earning her a glare from Peter. “Okay, okay, sorry. Look, you feel bad for her and that’s understandable. She’s a great girl. So check on her as a friend. See how she’s doing with her new life.”

They arrived at their apartment building and May pulled out her keys to the front door. Peter had to make a mental note to start carrying his keys again. He was so used to crawling through his window that he couldn’t remember the last time he used the front of the building. Luckily, he had been with May all weekend so that hadn’t been a problem.

“That sounds like a good idea, Aunt May. I’ll give it a try.”

May smiled and rubbed Peter’s head, a habit she couldn’t seem to break. They got inside the elevator and waited for it to close to take them to their floor. Before it did, Peter took one last look outside. So far, no Spider-Man needed.

When they reached their floor and went inside their apartment, Peter told May goodnight and went straight to his room. He closed the door and started to pace back and forth.

This was it, he was actually going to talk to Liz. He wasn’t sure what to say, but he felt like he had to say something. He took a deep breath and called her number.

It rang

And rang

and rang

and……

_You’ve reached Liz. Please leave a message. Thanks!_

“Crap,” he muttered quickly. He didn’t have time to think once the called beeped for his voicemail. “Uh, hey Liz. Just returning your call. It’s Peter by the way. Parker, Peter. I don’t know if you know any other Peters….anyway, just call back when you can. Or maybe text? Since we keep missing each other. Whatever you want. Alright, bye.”

He flopped on his bed. That was terrible, and he knew it. He was pretty sure he was the worse voicemail message leaver ever.

Peter turned to his side and saw his closet door halfway opened. Over the past few days, he would go and look at the Spider-Man suit as if it had been months since he wore it. He missed it already.

Without another thought, he rolled to his other side and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep.

* * *

It was a rare day when Peter was early to lunch, even rarer when Michelle was early. He saw her already at their table while he was in line. Once he got his food, he took a second to check his reflection in his spoon. He started to straighten out the front of his hair, when he felt eyes on him. He looked up to see the elderly lunch lady grinning at him and winked her eye. Peter felt his face starting to flush, so he picked up his tray and sped off to his table.

On his way over, he saw that MJ skipped getting her own tray today, something she hadn’t done in a while. But she was still sitting in the chair in front of where he normally sat, and instead of a book, she was sketching in her notebook.

“Careful,” Peter said, taking his seat in front of her. “You’re might give Ned a heart attack if he sees you skipping meals again.”

She didn’t look up, but Peter caught a glimpse of her biting her lip, hiding a smile.

“I’ll take my chances,” she said.

“Oh, come on.” Peter held up is stale looking pizza. “Are you really gonna pass up on Midtown’s finest dish?”

MJ looked at the dry slice and shook her head. She was having a really hard time masking her smile now. “Carboard with cheese and cafeteria red paste thrown on it, is not pizza.”

He shrugged, “Hey, pizza is pizza.”

“Careful.” She actually smiled fully this time. “You’ll give all of New York City a heart attack if you say that any louder.”

Peter laughed. “Yeah, you’re right.” He dropped the slice, and could have sworn it left a dent in the tray, before opening up his bag of chips. “So, what are you working on?”

MJ dropped her eyes back to her notebook and went back to work. “Just a generic sketch.”

He looked at her notebook. It was definitely a generic person, but the details were very good. He couldn’t make out if the person was male or female, old or young, or anything. It was just a face, a very expressive face.

“Don’t feel like sharing?” Peter asked, “Even with a friend?”

She didn’t respond at first, she just kept her eyes down and sketched. A part of Peter felt bad, like he was rushing her. But he wanted to get to know MJ more. She initiated this new friendship, but she was a hard person to talk to at times. He just figured everyone needed to go at their own pace.

“It’s a teenager,” she said. “A conflicted one, coming into their age.”

Peter was surprised. “What do you mean by ‘coming into their age’?”

MJ shrugged. “A lot. School, family, friendships, relationships, personal secrets. Teenage crap.”

He nodded. All that was teenage crap, which is why it was so relatable to him. Then it hit him, maybe it was relatable for a reason. She’s sketched him before in detention or during a boring class, but he always figured that was just teasing. Why would she sketch him now? Or was it even him at all?

“Do you know this person well?” he asked. She simply shrugged her shoulders again, not looking up from her sketching. “So, why do you think they’re conflicted?”

“I don’t know. They don’t feel like sharing, even with a friend.”

She closed her notebook and met Peter’s eyes. She didn’t look angry or upset, but there was a sudden tension in the air. She just stared at him, as if she was waiting for him to say something, but Peter was speechless.

“Hey guys!” Ned slid into his seat next to Peter. “Can you believe this pizza? We’re in New York City! Shouldn’t we get some kind of hookup?”

“I’m gonna head to the library.” MJ picked up her bag and notebook, standing from the table. “I’ll leave you two to enjoy your cardboard.” She walked off calmly as if nothing was wrong, but something was. Peter felt like she was trying to tell him something, but he didn’t know what. Between her and Liz, he was almost willing to trade in his super powers for the ability to understand girls.

“Bro, what was that?” Ned asked, in between chews.

“I don’t know,” he replied, “I thought we were getting along, but she just took off.”

Ned gulped down his whole bottle of cholate milk, letting out a big breath afterwards. “Man that pizza is terrible. Anyway, what’s up with Spidey? You had the weekend off, so you good now?”

Peter leaned back in his chair, no longer having an appetite. “I probably should, but I don’t know just yet.”

“Okay…Talk to Liz?” Ned asked him.

He crossed his arms and shook his head. “Got her voicemail. I don’t know what’s gonna happen with that.”

“Dang, Peter.” Ned dropped his bag of chips and threw his hands in the air. “Two good looking girls, radio active powers, New York City, rich allies, and you got nothing to tell me? What kind of superhero script are you writing? No one’s gonna want to buy tickets to this movie. We need some action!”

Peter rolled his eyes, but he knew Ned was right. He needed to get things together.

“Ok, ‘Guy in the Chair’, what do you think I should do?”

“How about this, tonight we go to the movies. We can see an action movie and take notes.”

“Dude,”

“Alright, seriously. Let’s just forget about everything else and see a movie and chill. It might help out.”

“Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

* * *

The final bell rang for the day and the students of Midtown Tech sprinted out of their classrooms and out of the building as fast as they could. After fighting his way through the teenage mosh pit, Peter reached is locker. He started turning the combination on his locker, but stopped when he saw a familiar curly head girl walking by, face buried in her phone.

“Hey MJ, wait up!” he shouted, forgetting is locker and ran towards her. She stopped and turned towards him but kept her eyes on her phone. “Hey, you took off early from lunch. I just wanted to make sure we’re still cool?”

“There haven’t been any Spider-Man sightings the past few days.” She scrolled her thumb on her screen as she talked. “I was curious, so I went and did some research. Still haven’t found anything.”

Peter hesitated. MJ must have been a bigger fan than he thought. Still, he couldn’t afford to look too obvious, so he had to say something.

“Maybe it’s because there hasn’t been any crime lately?”

It was a good line, so he didn’t know why he was so nervous. MJ had that type of strong presence though, even if she wasn’t looking at him.

“Like you said, Parker, we’re in New York. There’s always crime somewhere.”

She used his last name again. He took that as an indication that something was wrong. He just didn’t know what.

“Maybe he’s just busy,” he suggested.

“True. Or he’s conflicted about something.”

Peter didn’t respond to that, he didn’t know how. There really wasn’t an easy way to tell what was on MJ’s mind. She was a weird girl. But one thing he was sure of, there was more to her than meets the eye.

“Hey um, what are you doing tonight?” his voice cracked. Finally, she looked up from her phone, but he didn’t know if it was because of him or his new high pitched voice. “There’s this movie tonight. Action movie, with a possible hero in it,” he swallowed hard and rubbed his head. He didn’t know why it was suddenly so difficult to speak. “We were gonna go and I thought you might be in to that sort of thing?”

“I assume by _we,_ you mean you and Ned?” she asked.

“Oh yeah, of course.” He laughed nervously. “It wouldn’t just be you and me, that would be…anyway, since we’re all friends now, I thought it would be fun.”

It was like time was moving slower than ever. He hadn’t even been this nervous with Liz, criminals, or even celebrity super heroes. But something about a mysterious, observant, cute, weird girl who somehow always kept a poker face, gave Peter a cold chill with a heated face.

“What time?” she asked.

He was so shocked by how simple she said that, he almost lost his speech. “7:30. I’m gonna have an early dinner because I have curfew at 10. Not that you needed to know that…”

“I’ll see you tonight, Peter.”

She walked off, calm as ever. But Peter was anything but calm, he was excited.

* * *

May was nice enough to let Peter have an early dinner so he could go out with his friends that night. The agreement though was that he still had to meet his curfew at 10. In the past, May was the kind of Aunt that didn’t care about a curfew because she believed in trust with her nephew. Now days she just wanted to make sure he was safe from any Spidey enemies that could be lurking in the streets of Queens. Peter assured her he was just going to see a movie with Ned and a new friend. They didn’t talk about it, but he thought the real selling point was that the new friend was a girl.

“You sure MJ’s even coming, bro?” Ned asked, as they approached the theatre. “I mean, I’m cool with her coming but, she seemed a little annoyed at lunch today.”

“I was surprised too,” Peter replied, “But she doesn’t have a reason to lie. I think she wants to make this friendship work, she’s just different. Wait, there she is.”

They walked inside the theatre to find MJ already waiting at the snack booth. She waved them over once she saw them.

“Hey MJ.” Peter greeted her with a bright smile. He fought the urge to give her a hug and instead folded his arms. “Glad you could make it. Already got your ticket?”

“Yep, we’re all set.” She handed Peter and Ned their tickets for the movie. They both looked at each other, stunned, before looking back at her. “What?”

“You bought our tickets,” Ned said, slowly as if he was still trying process it.

“Thanks MJ,” Peter followed, “But you didn’t have to do that.”

She shrugged. “I had extra money. Plus, I don’t see the point of waiting in line for tickets, then waiting for you guys to wait in line.”

Peter smiled. The initial shock of MJ doing something nice was starting to wear off. In her own way, she was trying to be a good friend. “Tell you what, we’ll rotate who buys tickets to the movies,” he suggested. “So that way, we all cover each other.”

“I like that,” Ned agreed, “Next time, tickets are on Peter. Thanks bro.”

Peter gave him a brief glare, but he didn’t care. It was nice to have a new member in their group.

“Sounds good to me,” MJ said, “Oh, don’t forget your snacks.” She picked three small buckets of hot buttered popcorn off the counter, handing each Peter and Ned one. “Didn’t know what you liked so I went basic. Let’s see if we can get some good seats.”

* * *

The movie was about half way in. It wasn’t a bad movie, but it wasn’t the best. There were fight scenes, a car chase, cool special effects, and a funny main character. But, It lacked something to Peter. He felt like he had seen it before, or at least the setup of it.

To his right, Ned was enjoying himself with his feet up and munching on popcorn. To Peter’s left, MJ seemed to be watching the movie attentively, but he noticed she rolled her eyes at the current scene.

“Not impressed?” Peter whispered to her.

She leaned over the armrest between them and whispered back, “It’s not bad, just not good.”

“Yeah, I think it’s missing originality,” he said, “After a while, these movies all start to seem the same.”

“That’s because they are the same,” she scoffed, “A guy, who’s a nobody, gets to have a crazy life out of nowhere. Suddenly everyone’s life is in danger and he’s the only one who can be the hero. And his award, is a girl. In this case, the busty redhead.”

Peter had to hold back his laughter. She was right, it was all so predictable that it was almost wasn’t entertaining.

“Not only that,” he whispered, regaining his composure. “They’re in our city, but it doesn’t look like New York. There’s a lack of culture. They’re all the same kind of people, same kind of talk, same kind of everything. It’s not real, it’s…”

“Hollywood,” she finished. “It’s what _they_ _want_ to be real.”

Peter looked back at the screen for a moment. Then it hit him, Ned was right.

“It’s about time we got a new movie. Something more modern, realistic, but still have badass action.”

MJ munched on some popcorn and shrugged her shoulders. “Well, we got an Avengers Tower in our city. Hard to tell what’s reality anymore.”

“You know what I mean.” He leaned closer over their shared armrest. “A movie with a hero, but with the real New York flavor. Characters of different cultures and backgrounds. It would make for more original and better storylines.”

“No hot girl for the hero to rescue, Peter?” MJ fake gasped. “Who would buy tickets to that?”

He chuckled. “Of course there’s a hot girl, but she doesn’t need to be rescued. Maybe she’s the actual hero. I don’t see why not. She could be intelligent, mysterious, maybe even…conflicted.”

She looked over at him and their eyes met. The movie was forgotten for a moment, and they just stared at each other. Peter had no idea what to say, and for once, he didn’t care. He was good with the moment.

MJ smiled, and started to say something, until a loud beeping sound filled the entire theatre.

Red lights flashed from the doorway and the audience started panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a huge fan of the original Spider-Man story. Just tried to tell it from how I believe these character's perspective would be.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts


	6. Instincts

The theatre alarm was loud, and the red light flashed continuously. It was like the school fire drills, except no one was exiting in a single file line. Everybody was panicking.

“What’s going on, is there a fire?” Ned yelled.

Looking around, Peter analyzed the situation as quick as he could. Thankfully, it was a Monday night, so the theatre wasn’t crowded. Most of the seats were empty, but there were still a decent number of people in the room, and there sure to be more watching the other movies in the building.

“Maybe, or a robbery?” he thought out loud.

“There’s no sign of smoke.” MJ spoke up. “I doubt it’s a fire, but either way, we need to act fast.”

Even with all the commotion for the alarm and the panicking people around him, Peter couldn’t help but notice the look of determination of MJ’s face. She looked more alert and focused than he could ever remember seeing before.

“Here, hold this.” She shoved her hoodie in Peter’s chest and moved past him to get to the middle of the row. She clapped her hands loudly to get the attention of all the people in the room. “Listen up! There’s a fire exit in corner by the screen. Follow us. Move, Ned!”

The small crowd sprinted toward the aisles, following MJ and Ned toward the exit. Meanwhile, Peter was able to fade into the back of the crowd, almost too easily. He ran out into the hallway and saw a lot of commotion by the concessions. People were rushing out of their theater rooms and through the back of the building, bumping pass Peter. His heart started to race, but he had to act fast. He ran into the bathroom to change. But when he got in there, he saw his reflection in the mirror.

Peter gripped the sink and tried to get control of his breathing. Maybe it was because of his recent time off from Spider-Man, but something felt odd. Perhaps it would be better to let the police handle it. Most of the people seemed to have escaped anyway.

“What am I doing?” he asked his reflection. “Stop thinking so much.”

He moved back from the sink and braced himself. He was going to do this. Except, he realized he didn’t have his costume, he hadn’t brought it with him in days. But he needed something hide his face.

Peter looked around the bathroom, the sound of the alarm filling his hears. There weren’t a lot of options, except MJ’s hoodie. It was a plain black zip up hoodie that looked like it had to be a couple sizes too small for him. It wasn’t much at all, but it was better than nothing. He put on the tight hoodie, one sleeve at a time, sucking in his stomach to squeeze the zipper up. Feeling something shake in the front pockets, he dug in the find a big pair of sunglasses.

“That’s Lucky.” He put on the hood and pulled the strings hard, shrinking it around his face as much as possible.

With his new disguise, Peter ran out to the concessions. Glass was shattered, there was a hole in the wall, and multiple employees were sitting in a line underneath of it. Most notably, there was an older man wearing the same uniform as the rest of the employees, on top of the counter with a bat above his head ready to strike a younger employee beneath him.

“Hey slugger!” Peter called out, drawing the attention to him. “I know they keep raising the ticket prices, but I’ll let you stream my Netflix account if you promise to calm down.”

The angry employee looked Peter up in down, as if he wanted to comment on weird outfit, but didn’t seem to be in the mood for jokes.

“Who the hell are you?”

Since Peter wasn’t wearing his spider suit, and probably look ridiculous wearing the extra tight hoodie and large sunglasses, he needed to be very cautious. He cleared his throat and attempted to deepen his voice. “I’m just someone who wants to talk.”

The disgruntled employee gritted his teeth. “I’m done talking. I’ve tried that already and no matter how hard I work or how many ‘talks’ we have I still get no respect around here. I been busting my ass at this damn theatre for 4 years. Sweeping floors, scrapping gum, selling tickets, cleaning bathrooms, all for what? No promotion, and now I gotta answer to this kid!” he pointed the bat down at younger employee below him.

“Please,” his voice shaking, “I didn’t ask to be the manger.”

“Shut up! You ungrateful little brat. I didn’t work at the steel mill all those years just to end up being managed by some brat at a fancy school.”

The younger employee on the ground looked like he was only a few years older than Peter, but apparently was the authority in theatre. And now he had responsibility to look over other people and was getting blame. Peter knew the feeling all too well.

“Whoa, hold up big guy.” Peter slowly walked towards the angry employee. “Look, I’m sure you work hard enough. You probably just need some adjustment with people skills to move up in the company.”

“That’s it!”

He swung the bat and Peter ducked and rolled out the way. He got to his feet, but immediately felt restricted. He could barely raise his arms in MJ’s small hoodie.

He jumped back just in time to dodge a swing to his stomach. He ducked from the next swing which took out a whole rack of candy.

Peter slipped on a box of chocolates and fell to the ground. He turned on his back and saw the bat flying at his face. He threw his hands up just in time to catch it above his nose. Using his enhanced strength, he pulled on the bat and threw the employee into a shelf of 3-D glasses.

Peter ran up to him and just barley dodge a critical blow. The guy had pulled out a knife. Shocked by the sight of it, Peter was hit with the next wing, the blade cutting through the fabric and glazing the tip of his chest.

Peter lifted his fist, tearing the hoodie at the armpit and connected a punch to the employee’s face, knocking him out.

Peter doubled over, feeling a bit of pain from the hit. He heard the remaining employees start together around him. Off instinct, he moved his hand to his face, feeling his exposed mouth. He pulled on the strings of the hood to cover it and adjusted his glasses and ran out of the building with his head down.

Just outside of the theatre, the police had arrived. Three cop cars were blocking the street in front of him.

“Hey, kid.” One called out.

Without any time to think, Peter ran the opposite direction.

“Get back here!” the cop called out.

He ran as fast as he could, hearing that he was being chased. He continued to run until he came to a bridge, and without much of a choice, he jumped down.

Two cops ran up to the bridge and looked around. But there was no sight of any the kid they were chasing, and they hadn’t been able to get a good look at his face.

“I thought he went this way.” One of them said.

“He’s gone.” The partner replied. “Come on, we gotta get back to the theatre before the credit goes to another one of these Avenger freaks.”

They ran off, but unnoticed to them, Peter was there. He used his spider powers to cling himself underneath the bridge until the coast was clear.

* * *

Peter went home that night exhausted, more mentally than physically. He couldn’t believe he had been so careless. Thankfully, the bad guy was stopped, and no one was hurt. Almost no one.

Feeling the sting, he glanced underneath his shirt. The knife had only left a small scrape, but still he should’ve been ready for it. If he had his suit and web shooters, it would’ve been over a lot faster. But he didn’t bring with him.

Another thing that went wrong was that this was his first time hanging out with MJ, and it was cut short in the worst way. He did learn some things about her tonight though, mostly that she was heroic herself. Her decision making was sharper than everyone’s in the theatre and she led them all to safety.

That’s twice now that Peter got to see a rise out of Michelle Jones. First was in D.C when she was worried for her teammates, this time was for strangers. She acted like she didn’t care about anything, but she actually cared a lot about people. Peter liked that about her.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen.

_Ned_

He ached, feeling the sting on his chest again as he answered the call.

“Hey, Ned.”

_“Dude, It. Is. Lit! That was so nuts tonight. You’re back on your spidey game, sorta. Why didn’t you bring your suit? One of the employees at the theater said they think some ninja girl saved them. You were the ninja girl, right?”_

Peter’s phone buzzed again. He let Ned continue to ramble while he checked the screen.

Incoming call, _Liz_

“Dude, I gotta go. Liz is calling.”

He hung and leaped to his feet. All thoughts about tonight had been put on pause. The nerves were shooting through him so fast that he found himself pacing his small bedroom. While the phone continued to buzz, he gave himself a quick pep talk to stay calm.

After a deep breath, he answered the call.

“Hey it’s Parker! I mean, crap, I’m Peter. I mean, um, hi.”

Liz Giggled on the other lone. _“Same old Peter.”_

He laughed, nervously. “Sorry about that.”

_“It’s fine. But Peter, if we’re going to talk, then you have to stop apologizing. It gets kind of weird.”_

“Sor-, okay. So, Liz, how have you been?”

She sighed. _“Okay, I guess. Just trying to adjust to a new life out here. Which surprisingly isn’t that hard in Oregon.”_

“Oh really?” he continued to pace the room. “So, it’s cool out there huh?”

_“Yeah. The pacific north west has a whole different culture of its own. People are really nice, but sometimes I miss New York. The talk, the diversity, the random superhero pop ups…the pizza.”_

He laughed, beginning to relax a little.

“I hear that. And trust me, Queens is nothing without Liz Toomes. We all miss you.”

_“Thanks. But it’s actually Liz Allan now. I’m using my mom’s maiden name. Part of the whole ‘fresh start’ thing.”_

“Oh.”

The guilt hit again. The poor girl couldn’t even use her father’s name because he was put in jail.

_“How are things with you Peter?”_

“Oh, you know. Same old, same old.”

_“Things good with your Aunt? I figure that’s why you were always so busy, since, you know.”_

She was talking about Uncle Ben. Peter didn’t talk about it much, or really at all. There was so much he wanted to say but couldn’t.

“She’s doing well. We’ve been spending more time together lately. It’s been nice.”

_“That’s great Peter. She was always so cool when she used to come to our competitions.”_

“Oh, by the way. Because of the National Championship, we’ve been invited to a tournament out in California.”

_“Oh wow. That’s great. Congratulate the team for me._

There was a hint of sorrow in her voice. It wasn’t fair. She was the reason the team was so driven and successful in the first place, but now she couldn’t be a part of their continued success.

“I will.”

_“Peter, I’m going to go now. But listen, you and I are good. Okay?”_

“Thanks Liz. I’m glad you called.”

_“Take care.”_

* * *

Peter spent the next day at school reflecting over everything that happened. He still hadn’t brought his spider suit with him and wasn’t sure why. That man he stopped was about to hurt people, so he needed to be stopped. But after hearing his story, he wondered if the anger came from not having more money to provide for a family. Like the Vulture.

Peter spun around his chocolate milk on the lunch table, contemplating. This was crazy. The man didn’t even mention having kids or a family. For all Peter knew, there was no family. But did that change anything? Should any villain be treated differently than other villains?

“Hey, loser. See any good movies lately?”

He straightened up in his chair when MJ sat down in front of him. A smile came to his face. As far as he was concerned, last night she was the hero.

“Hey MJ. I was looking for you this morning. I never got a chance to talk to you about last night. You were amazing.”

She grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t do anything special.”

“Yeah, right. You didn’t panic at all. You were focused and on saving everyone and not just yourself. A lot of people wouldn’t do that. You were a hero to those people.

MJ didn’t respond immediately. She poured ketchup on her fries and started to dig into her food, keeping her smile the whole time. If Peter didn’t know any better, she seemed a bit bashful about the whole thing.

“Thanks,” she said, “But na. I’ll leave the hero stuff to Spider-Man.”

Peter scratched his head, recalling his role in last night’s events. “Oh by the way, sorry I got lost from you guys with all the commotion last night.”

“What happened to you?” she asked calmly. Though the way looked at him made Peter feel as if he was being interrogated. How did she do that?

“Uh, you know, lot of people. I just got lost in the crowd, then headed home. Good thing is, everything got resolved though, right.”

She nodded, “Yeah but if our guy, Spidey, doesn’t start popping up again then we might be in trouble. But then again, who needs Spidey when we got ninja girl.”

Peter felt his face heat up and tried to fake a laugh.

“Ninja girl’s got nothing on Spider-Man.” Ned dropped in his chair quickly, sounding defensive. “We don’t even know if she’s a ninja. Or if she’s even a _she._ That employee didn’t give a good description on the news.”

“Uh, what Ned means,” Peter interjected. “Is that it was probably someone watching a movie and took out the bad guy. Nothing to talk about.”

He laughed nervously, along with Ned. MJ just watched on, eating her chicken nuggets, and shook her head.

“You two take awkward to a new level. Anyway, you can relax. Your favorite superhero isn’t getting replaced or anything. There’s no buzz online about last night. Plus, our superhero name standards are already low enough. I would hope we could do better than _ninja girl._ But like I was saying _,_ the only reason I know ‘ninja girl’ is because Ned called last night when I got home, bugging me about it.”

Peter shot a glare at his apparently gossipy friend.

“Well I needed to tell somebody, and you were on the phone with Liz,” he defended.

“You’re talking to Liz again?”

For some reason, the way MJ asked, made Peter freeze. He suddenly felt more nervous than when he was in battle the night before.

“Uh, yeah.” Ned stuttered, trying to save him. “But knowing her, she was probably just trying to ask Peter for my number. You know, before she left, I always got the feeling Liz had this thing for me…”

MJ gave Ned a look of condescension. Peter covered his eyes, embarrassed for his friend.

“I guess you guys disagree?”

“Anyway,” Peter said, unable to take Ned’s _help_ anymore. “I was checking on Liz. Seeing how she was doing with her new life and all. You know, as a friend.”

He wished he didn’t mention that last part. It sounded suspicious for some reason.

“That reminds me.” MJ picked up her bag and stood from the table. “I got drills to prepare for practice this week. I’m going to the library.”

“Wait, MJ. Hold up!”

Peter got up from the table and chased her down. “Are you, okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

She wouldn’t stop or even look back at him. So he just kept up with her pace.

“I’m not sure. But, maybe we could talk about it?”

“What’s there to talk about?”

“I don’t know Michelle, but that’s what friends do. Talk out issues.”

“Why don’t you take your own advice, _Parker.”_

He stopped in his tracks.

After finally feeling like he was on good terms with Liz, now he wasn’t on good terms with MJ. Peter had a lot of problems going on and letting go of Spider-Man didn’t seem like it was helping. He didn’t know why he was having issues with being a superhero now, he didn’t know why he could let the Vulture situation go, he didn’t know a lot of things. What he did know, was that he hated seeing Michelle walk away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally hear from Liz.
> 
> More revelations, but more mystery. Peter's got problems going on.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts


	7. Louder than Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're a visual person like me, this story now comes with  
> [Cover Art: click here](https://classic-vision.tumblr.com/post/177535196979/the-reality-of-spider-man-begins-to-weigh-on-peter)

_If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it._

Wise words from Tony Stark, aka Iron-Man.

Peter moved the red and blue fabric through his fingers. It felt like ages since he wore his spider suit, he was halfway expecting it to be dusty when he opened his closet that morning.

He moved his fingers to the black web pattern in the middle of the suit. He admired the whole design, it was so cool. The fact that it was his suit was still surreal to him. The moment he got his powers, he immediately ran off to enjoy them. In a world full of crime, he used the Avengers as his role models to help provide justice. But with all the thrill of the action and adventure, Peter never actually decided what it meant to be Spider-Man. It was just fun and gave him an identity when he felt like he needed it most.

“Peter, I’m off to work!”

He put the suit back on the hanger and walked out to the living room.

“Hey Aunt May,” he greeted, “Are you still doing okay with those extra hours?”

He watched her down her coffee in one gulp before dropping the mug in the sink and scoop up her purse, all in one motion. Coffee had been her breakfast replacement for the past year.

Without Uncle Ben, there was a loss of extra income in the household. In order to maintain rent, May had to pick up extra shifts. Because of that, it was rare she got free time anymore, which is why Peter took advantage of the previous weekend to hang out with her.

“It’s tiring,” she said, fishing for her keys in her purse. “But old May is no complainer.”

“Stop calling yourself old,” he laughed, “No one’s falling for it.”

She ran around the couch and ruffled his hair.

“That’s because you keep me young.” She kissed his head and sped toward the door. “Now stop worrying about me and go enjoy school. You don’t wanna work for a living. Trust me.”

After she left, Peter went back to his room. He threw his backpack over his shoulder and picked his phone off the bed.

For the first time since she left, Peter wasn’t looking for a message from Liz. Talking to her last night didn’t solve everything, but he was glad to hear that she was doing better. Now he was looking for a message from someone else, Michelle. He didn’t like how things ended at lunch the day before, so he tried a text apology, but got no reply.

He rubbed his head and put his phone away. The whole point of him turning down the Avengers offer was because he felt like still had more to do as Peter Parker. But lately, all he was doing was getting more problems and looking for solutions.

On his way out, he glanced at his closet one last time.

_If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it._

Who was Peter Parker, and why was he Spider-Man?

* * *

It had been a dull school day. Pretty much every day seemed like that for Peter. School just came naturally to him. Even the prestigious Midtown Tech didn’t provide much of a challenge to the gifted scholar, which is why he joined the academic team in the first place. He figured adding a competitive environment to his subjects would provide more of a thrill. It was fun, until he became Spider-Man. That was really fun. But without Spider-Man, Peter craved a new thrill, and lately he was getting it from the academic team again, only for a different reason.

Michelle was already in the meeting room when Peter arrived for practice that afternoon. Most of the team was already there: Abe, Betty, Cindy, Sally, and Charles. But there were still some people they would have to wait on, so Peter figured it would be a good time to talk to her.

“Hey,” he greeted her, trying to sound upbeat.

She gave the slightest gesture of raising her eyebrows, as if to acknowledge she heard him, but kept her focus on her notes in front of her. He noticed the seat next to her had a backpack in it this time.

“Is this your backpack?” he asked.

“Yup.” Michelle sat her notes aside and picked up a stack of flash cards. “And that’s it’s chair.”

Ouch

Peter wanted to say something, but just ended up sighing and moved to the next empty seat. It was best not to cause a scene in front of the team.

Michelle had skipped lunch for the past couple of days, and Peter was really missing her. As it turns out, there was only so long he could go without having clever wit, sarcastic jokes, and attractive mystery in his life. Somehow, his friendship with Michelle Jones had rivaled the thrill of being Spider-Man.

He still didn’t know why she was mad at him. Whenever he tried to ask her about it in-between classes, she would just mutter something about being busy.

“Sup, my fellow champions!” Ned slid in the meeting room, wearing his signature hat, a brand-new leather jacket, and holding a large box between his arms. “I come bearing gifts for Midtown’s new royalty.”

“Hey Ned.” Peter took in the new outfit. “Dude, is that a varsity jacket?”

The rest of the team got out of there seats and walked over to glance at Ned’s attire. The design held the school’s team colors. The body was made of broiled blue wool that felt thick and soft. The sleeves were a shiny rich gold and smooth to the touch. On the right chest, it read, _Midtown Tech._ On the left chest, was the atom emblem for the school’s symbol. Lastly, the back of the jacket had big gold letters that read, _Decathlon National Champions._

“Yeah bro,” Ned said, “I convinced Mr. Harrington that we deserved them after winning the championship. How cool is this?” he paraded in his jacket and bounced to a beat in his head. “New generation, new rulers of the school. Millennials baby, we up in here!”

“Ned…that’s the coolest thing I've ever seen!” Peter shouted.

The rest of the team cheered and dug into the box for their own jacket. They all thanked Ned and complimented each other’s look in their new championship attire.

“I’m glad you guys like it!” Ned said.

Peter felt a new energy when he put on his jacket. It reminded him of a similar feeling he got when he first put on the Spider-Man suit Tony Stark gave him. It was a great feeling. A feeling of belonging to something.

“Yeah, this is awesome,” he said. “By the way, I think we're actually generation Z.”

“Are we?” Ned asked. “They keep changing the age group. I can never keep track.”

Cindy scoffed, “We’re definitely Z. I saw it on Tumblr, so it’s official.”

“No, no,” Abe chimed in. “My sister is older than us, and she calls me a millennial all the time.”

Betty walked up, joining the topic. “I don’t know, my dad says he’s technically a millennial…”

“You’re dad?”

The debate continued with arguments of news articles, questionable sources, and pop culture references. The arguments went back and forth until a voice cut through the conversation.

“Well,”

All eyes shifted over to Michelle, their captain. She dropped her notes on the table and shifted in her seat to address the team.

“If we're going by society reactions, the rules are as follows: if your entire age group gets blamed for something that's not your fault, you're a millennial. If your entire age group gets ignored and told there's no hope for your future, your Gen Z.”

Silence filled the room. Not silence in the negative sense, but the kind of silence that follows a perplexing statement, inspiring new thoughts to form. Her words seemed more accurate than any definition than what you would find in a dictionary. And if Peter was honest with himself, he felt like they fit both of those descriptions.

“Uh, let's just go with millennials,” he suggested. “It's the coolest generation name.”

“True that, bro!”

Peter and Ned shared a high five. Feeling confident in his new gear, Peter pulled another jacket out of the box and moved towards their captain.

“And Michelle, you're going to be the queen of the school.”

For a second, Michelle’s poker face broke. It was a rare show of emotion at the unexpected kind gesture. A second that didn’t go unnoticed by Peter. She quickly recovered and walked towards him.

“Trust me, you don't want me to be queen. I'll turn this place into Game of Thrones overnight. I'll take the jacket though.”

She turned around and slid her arms into the sleeves while Peter held the jacket open for her. It was a little large on her, but he thought it looked perfect. Michelle seemed to like it, she actually smiled for the first time in days. He smiled back at her and they shared a moment, one they shared too rare for his liking. She had a really nice smile.

“Sup, dorks. DJ Flash is in the building!”

And that’s when the reigning king of party pooping arrived.

“Hey Michelle, nice jacket.” Flash bumped into Peter, sliding into the middle of him and Michelle, and only acknowledging her. “Sorry you had to wait here, bored with these losers. But don't worry, I'm here now.”

Peter shook his head. Maybe it was the confidence from the new jacket, or his dormant spider powers rising, but Flash’s annoyance levels were becoming too much to take.

“Alright Flash.” Peter grabbed Flash’s shoulder, and turned him around with ease to meet his face. “You're getting on my nerves.”

Flash took a step back and rubbed his shoulder, surprised at Peter’s strength, but quickly gained his composure once he saw everybody was watching. “Ooh, Parker stepping up. Think you're so great because Liz thought you were smart? Here’s a news _flash_. Liz is gone, and we won without you. You're not needed here.”

“That reminds me,” Michelle spoke up, “Flash, you're off the team.”

“What! Why?”

She shrugged her shoulders with her hands tucked into her new blue wool pockets. “We ran out of jackets.”

“Uh, yeah.” Ned used his foot to subtly sweep the box underneath the desk behind him. “Sorry, bro.”

Flash looked distraught. His eyes were about to pop out of their sockets and his voice stuttered but words wouldn’t form. He looked around the room as if he was excepting a defense, but no one gave him even the slightest bit of sympathy.

“Good afternoon, team.” Mr. Harrington entered the room but stopped short immediately at the site of Flash. “Oh MJ, did you not have a chance to follow up on what we discussed?”

“I did,” she replied, crossing her arms at the subject in question. “He was just leaving.”

Flash’s mouth dropped, he was shocked. He spun around to Peter, glaring at him. That was no surprise, he blamed Peter for everything. But Peter didn’t care this time, he just grinned at his _former_ teammate.

“This isn’t over. You’ll be hearing from my parents!” Flash yelled, storming out of the room.

Peter breathed in and out, savoring the feeling of the exhale.

“Is it just me, or does the air feel fresher?” he thought out loud.

“That’s usually what happens when you take out the trash,” Michelle said.

The whole team laughed. Good energy filled the room now that the most negative member was gone. Peter met Michelle’s eyes again, and he no longer felt any tension between them anymore. Was it really that simple? He didn’t know, but he enjoyed this brief moment they were sharing.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Mr. Harrington announced, “Everyone take a seat.”

The team complied and gathered around the table with Mr. Harrington and Michelle at the front. Peter took a second to glance around. For the first time, since joining, he remembered why he was a part of this team. It was a room full of scholars who shared a common interest in academic knowledge. They were champions, and now they looked like champions. He felt proud sit a table with them, rocking his new blue and gold leather.

“First off, congrats on the new jackets,” Mr. Harrington began. “You can thank Ned for those.”

Ned fist pumped to round of applause the team gave him.

“So, I heard back from the USAD. For the most part, the competition of Decathlon will be the same. It will still be a race of academic knowledge. However, the tournament will be a little different than what we are used to. Instead of having our whole team competing together at once, we will have one member at a time compete against a member of the competing team. After each question, we rotate. Most correct answers advance to the next round until one school remains.”

“I feel like I’ve seen that before,” Ned said.

Michelle spoke up, “Think of it like Family Feud. Except instead of the stylish host, marriage trivia, and sex jokes, we’re gonna have the school board, chemical analysis, and algebraic puns.”

Mr. Harrington opened his mouth to address Michelle’s comment, but hesitated as if he realized the argument would be a loss.

“Well, yes. But, it’ll be fun! Anyway, we actually have less time than I thought. The tournament is in two weeks.”

Complaints went around the room. Mr. Harrington waved his hands to calm down the team while Michelle picked up her notes.

“I know, I know, but we don’t really have a say in the matter. So let’s start practice.”

* * *

After practice, Peter followed Mr. Harrington back to his office, asking to speak with him. Following the dismissal of Flash from the team, Peter felt like he had to address the situation.

Mr. Harrington closed the door behind them and gestured for Peter to take a seat, while he took his own behind his desk. “So, what’s on your mind, Peter?”

Peter sighed, he couldn’t believe he was going to do this, but he knew it was the right thing to do. “Mr. Harrington, I'm grateful that you gave me a second chance. But I have to admit, Flash made a good point the other day. I let you all down at the championship. He was there, and I wasn’t. Honestly, I’m not sure if I deserve a spot on the team over him.”

He swallowed nervously, waiting for a response. He really did want to be on the team. But he knew this would weigh on his conscience if he didn’t speak on it.

Mr. Harrington leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin in thought. “Yes, you did. But MJ and I had a conversation. We concluded that team chemistry and high grades are required for success on this team. In both of those categories, you succeed Flash in. Against my better judgement, she made a convincing argument.”

“Wait. Michelle wanted me on the team?” Peter asked.

He had to admit, he was surprised. The decision was so new that it had to have been made this week, while Michelle had been avoiding him. Was she even mad at him at all, or was she just focused on the team’s success? Either way, she looked out for him.

“MJ cares a lot for her teammates.” Mr. Harrington stated. “More than she lets on. That's why I was more than comfortable letting her take over for Liz.”

Peter smiled, holding back what he really wanted to say. Michelle Jones was a mystery. But, day by day, he was starting to figure her out. She was the type that let her actions speak louder than her words, and her actions said that they were still friends. Closer friends than he realized.

“That’s great to hear, sir. Things have been tough for me and my aunt since, you know. So I haven’t always been able to make practice. But I'll be around now and won't miss this tournament. I won't let you down again. I promise.”

Mr. Harrington stood up and shook Peter’s hand. “I can only imagine how tough things have been for you, Peter. But I’m glad you found a home here with your friends on the team.”

Peter thanked him and exit the office. He walked down the hall with more conviction than he had in weeks. He made a decision, he was going to make sure they’d win that tournament.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts


	8. Pleasant Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new Spider-Man game is out and I'm addicted. Venom movie is around the corner, Spideyverse movie on the way, and we're on the countdown till Far From Home. Great time to be a fan.
> 
> With that being said, here's an all Spideychelle chapter. Enjoy.
> 
>  
> 
> [Cover Art: click here](https://classic-vision.tumblr.com/post/177535196979/the-reality-of-spider-man-begins-to-weigh-on-peter)

The week was over. School was out, and no academic practice was scheduled for the day.

“Finally free.” Peter let out a yawn, stretching out his arms as made his way to the front doors.

For any student, this was the best feeling. All the work is done, the pressure of homework is delayed until Sunday night, and you could sleep in the next couple of days. And Peter was no exception, he looked forward to the weekends.

In the past, his weekends were reserved for being Spider-Man with no interference, but that was over now. Or was it? He still didn’t know why he was holding back, he missed the wild life of being a secret costume wearing web slinger, but he wasn’t ready to go back yet.

Still, he wasn’t going to let that stop him from enjoying his weekend. The sun was shinning bright  with a slight breeze in the air and it wasn’t too cold out. He walked down the steps pleased with the scenery. It was his time, his freedom, his relaxtat-

“Peter,”

He jumped back so far you would think he was being confronted by an entire gang. But no, it was just Michelle Jones.

How does she keep doing that?

“Oh,” he had to take a moment to catch his breath. “Hi, Mi- I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“Are you in a hurry?”  she asked, referring to his frantic breathing, not realizing she gave him anxiety just by talking to him.

“Oh no, no. I was just, uh, glad to be out of school.”

He laughed, hoping she join in, but she never did. She reached around for her backpack, pulling out a notebook.

“You left this in chem. I forgot to mention it earlier.”

“Oh, thanks.” He took notebook, feeling slightly disappointed that was the only reason she was talking to him.

“You shouldn’t leave you’re stuff around,” she said. “That’s how secrets get exposed.”

Peter’s head shot up. Michelle kept her blank stare at him as if she were testing him for what to say next. He had to think fast.

“Uh, I, I don’t-“

She grinned. “Dang you’re easy. Relax man, I’m not trying to peek at your secret love poetry to Liz.”

He chuckled, a wave of relief washing over him. This girl sure knew how to keep him guessing.

“Good to know you weren’t being ‘observant’,” he joked. “But, Liz and I aren’t together or anything.”

“I know,” she stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets and leaned back against the wall. “She hit me up yesterday, saying congrats for making the new tournament.”

“Oh, that’s great.” Peter was surprised. Even during practice, he never saw Michelle and Liz interact much outside of the drills. Then again, he missed quite a few practices.

He didn’t really know what else to say on the subject. From what he gathered though, it didn’t seem like him Michelle were arguing anymore, if they ever were. She was a hard girl to read.

He rubbed his head, thinking of something else to say. “That jacket really does look good on you.”

He pointed at the blue and gold team jacket they all received the other day. Michelle had worn it everyday since. And he wasn’t lying, if anything, he was underselling. She looked great in that jacket. Peter most admired how big it was on her. Because it was a little oversized for her small body, it drew more attention to her face. The only better sight was when she gave one of her rare smiles.

Michelle’s expression softened at his compliment. He felt himself ease up now, letting her speak. She never showed much vulnerability; her presence was so naturally strong that Peter almost forgot that she was the one that called out to him. That vulnerability didn’t last long though.

“Yeah well, I needed something since I never got my hoodie back,” she said.

Peter scrunched his face, confused. He saw Michelle at school everyday at school for the past year and half and she never wore hoodies. The only time he could recall her ever wearing one was…

“Crap!” he shouted. It was as if the memory had slapped him in the face. He was the one that never returned her hoodie. “That time at the movies.. I’m so sorry, I forgot.”

Peter had used her hoodie as a disguise to save the theatre when it was under attack the other day. He couldn’t believe it. The one time he got a chance to hangout with Michelle outside of school and he ended up damaging her hoodie to the point of no return. To make matters worse, he never even addressed it. No wonder she hadn’t been talking to him.

“I actually, lost it…” he said. He couldn’t tell her the truth without giving away his secret identity. Still, he felt doubly guilty now that he was lying to her. “I’m so sorry. I’ll get you a new one, promise.”

Michelle moved off the wall and stood right before him. Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms across her chest. Peter swallowed, taking in her full presence. Through his eyes she had a small stature, but her aura was so strong he felt like the ground was shifting. He braced himself for whatever she had to say.

“Pepperoni.”

“What?”

He wasn’t excepting that.

She shrugged her shoulders. “It was an old hoodie I haven’t worn in years. But if you wanna make it up to me, buy me a slice.”

Peter watched her walk by him casually. She didn’t even look back, as if she knew he would come along, which he did. In fact, Peter wondered if she had this pre-planned.

“Sure,” Peter matched her pace. “But I’m really sorry.”

“Enough with the apologies,” she rolled her eyes. “Once is enough. I’m just hungry.”

They crossed the street and proceeded to pass two pizza stands. Both had long lines of students waiting at them. Peter usually avoided those too after school, preferring a sandwich from Delmar’s. But there was nothing wrong with indulging on New York’s special Italian favorite on the weekend. Throughout Queens, there were many pizza options for miles and miles. With so many choices in the city, everybody had their favorite spot to grab a slice. Peter was curious to see which one Michelle’s was.

“So,” she broke the silence. “Ned still in porn lockdown?”

He laughed. “Probably till graduation. By the way, I thought you like to go to detention for your creepy sketches.”

She grinned at him, “You’re one to talk about creepy, voicemail guy.”

He gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. He a had feeling that conversation wasn’t over.

“Look, I had to check on Liz,” he said. “It just isn’t fair what happened to her, you know? She’s, she’s…”

“The perfect kid,” Michelle finished. “Cute honor student, organizes school functions, throws house parties with no alcohol, and leads academic teams to be national champions. And her reward was finding out her dad was a feather flying criminal.”

That was easier than Peter thought. Michelle basically just read his mind.

“It’s rough,” she continued. “But Liz is successful because she’s tough minded. Bad things happen to good people, but she’s strong enough to get through it.”

They turned a corner and went down the next couple blocks in silence. It was unusual because Peter always had something to say, especially when he was nervous. But since they started walking, he felt more relaxed with each step. The silence was nice for a moment, MJ had given him something to think about.

_Bad things happen to good people._

It was the sad truth. But why did it have to be like that?

_Strong enough to get through it._

She was right, Liz was strong. But was he?

“You can’t change the past, man.” She said, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked over and met her eyes. “Don’t stress it.”

They came to a stop at the last pizza stand by the subway. Peter couldn’t argue, it was a good choice. With so many people coming and going, the pizza stands by the subway throughout all of New York City tended to be good.

As agreed, he bought two sliced of pepperoni, one for her and one for him.

The slice was so large he needed both hands to hold it while he ate. He took a glance at Michelle, expecting her to do the same. To his surprise, she folded her slice while she ate. It wasn’t something he saw people do often, she was a rare case. Then again, she was a rare girl.

Perhaps he was staring too long because Michelle raised an eyebrow at him making him look away, embarrassed. Still, he couldn’t help but smile while he chewed on the cheesy blend of marinara and pepperoni. Walking the streets of Queens with Michelle felt nice, comfortable. He could get used to it.

“I forgot to mention how far it was.” She whipped her mouth and tossed the napkin and plate in a trash can once finished. “Hope I didn’t take you too far out of your way.”

Peter shook his head, throwing away his waste. “No. I catch the subway too.”

They made their way down the tunnel, staying close throughout the crowd of rushing people. Bump after bump with people, Peter was losing sight of Michelle, so he took her hand and pulled her out of the crowd and over to an open area.

To his surprise, she didn’t reject his hand now that they were free. So he held on.

“Um,” he felt his face heat up, “I could walk you home.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Why?”

He was sure his face was noticeably red by now. “Uh, just offering.” He rubbed his head with his free hand. “So, got any plans for the weekend? What are you reading now?”

“ _Death of the Damsel in Distress_ ” she said.

Peter dropped her hand immediately.

“Cool. Sounds like a good one.” He rubbed his palms on his jeans, feeling stupid.

To his surprise again, she smiled.

“I’m just going to study for the tournament.” She watched him wipe his hands and shook her head. “You’re a weird guy, Peter.”

They both chuckled as the subway pulled up next to them. He thought it was ironic that she thought of him the same way he had always thought of her. They were both weird, and maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

Wait

“Did you say _Peter?_ ” he asked. “So, am I good to start saying _MJ_ again?”

“I don’t know why you stopped.” She stepped inside the subway and turned back to him. “We’re friends.”

The doors closed, and the subway took off. The whole while, Peter couldn’t stop smiling. He had his friend back and the weekend was off to a good start. His focus for the weekend was set as well, like MJ, he was going to spend his free days preparing for the tournament.

It was only then that he realized he needed to catch that subway to get home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but needed. There's more than meets the eye.
> 
> 'Death of the Damsel in Distress' is an original title by me just for the sake of this story. MJ don't play that.
> 
> This story now has over a hundred kudos! Thanks to all for reading so far. More to come soon.
> 
> All feedback is appreciated.


	9. City of Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's way heavier this time. Writing angst for these characters was a challenge, but we're at that point
> 
> [Cover Art: click here](https://classic-vision.tumblr.com/post/177535196979/the-reality-of-spider-man-begins-to-weigh-on-peter)

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Spidey takes a vacation. Queens at risk! Extra! Extra!"

_What?_

Peter stepped off the subway, stumbling from the after-school rush of students exiting the train, to see a kid waving around newspapers for sell. The kid couldn’t have been older than 10 and it didn’t look like anyone was with him. He was surprised to see anyone selling papers on the street, especially a lone child.

Peter walked up to the kid but was cut off by an older man jumping ahead of him.

“Kid, do you even know what an ‘Extra’ is?” he grunted. He looked to have been in his 60s and didn’t seem like the type to read the news online.

The kid looked down at the newspaper embarrassed. “My granddad used to yell it when he sold papers, growing up,” he said softly.

The older man scowled down at the child. “Eh, I’m just surprised you even know what a _newspaper_ is. Darn millennials.” He snatched the paper out of the kid’s hands and opened it up. “Ah, that’s why Spider-Man’s gone. Punk is just lazy, like the rest of the kids these days.”

Peter couldn’t stand to hear anymore. Keeping his mouth shut, he started to walk off in the other direction.

“That’ll be $2, sir,” he heard the kid say.

The rude man laughed menacingly. It was the kind of laugh that attacked the ears. Still, Peter kept walking.

“Back before your little internet, these used to only cost a quarter. Get outta here, brat.”

That stopped Peter.

He could hear the footsteps of the man walking his way, ignoring the pleads and complaints of the child he just robbed.

Without looking, Peter reached a hand out and gripped the shoulder of the man right when he walked by, bringing him to a stop.

“Pay him,” he warned.

The man looked at Peter stunned, as did many when they felt his strength. When there was no movement, Peter gripped his shoulder a little tighter.

The man didn’t speak. He reached in his pocket and turned to hand the kid a few dollar bills before dropping the paper and marching off in anger.

“Thanks, bro,” the kid said. “You’re my hero.”

Peter was taken aback, but still couldn’t help but smile at the innocence before him. Besides, he hadn’t been called ‘hero’ in a while.

“Just trying to be a good neighbor.” He pulled out a couple of dollars out of his own wallet and handed it to the kid before picking up the dropped paper.

“Just like Spider-Man always says!” the kid beamed. “Boss-man don’t like him, but I do. Everybody needs a break once in a while, but he’ll be back, watch.”

Peter nodded, and the kid ran off yelling “Extra!” for more customers. Peter looked down at the _Daily Bugle_ copy in his hands.

He wasn’t surprised. He’d seen online articles of the Bugle trashing his name before. Only this time, the article wasn’t a complete lie. Maybe he was taking a vacation, he hadn’t decided exactly on what he was doing. But if the owner of the paper really did think that Queens was in jeopardy, why would he send a defenseless child out on the street to sell papers? Where were that kid’s parents?

Where was Spider-Man?

* * *

Peter let out a big yawn and dropped his head to his desk. First period was about to start and he was just grateful for a couple of minutes at his desk for brief rest.

“Late night patrol?” Ned whispered over his shoulder. He sounded so hopeful. For the past few days Ned had really been trying to urge Peter back into the superhero life.

He yawned again. “No, dude. Just been studying like crazy every night for the tournament.”

“Dude, are you serious? When are you gonna end this little vacation?”

Peter was really starting to hate that word. Truth was, he had been studying every night, but last night was different. He paced circles around his room thinking about the kid he saw selling the newspapers. He wondered if he got home safe, and how long until he gave up on Spider-Man. How long until the city gave up on him.

“Look, can we not do this now?” he rubbed his eyes and let out a third yawn. His body still wasn’t awake enough to argue and lately that’s what him and Ned had been doing.

“Pe-”

“Hey MJ!” he said as the girl entered the classroom, glad for a distraction.

Sporting her favorite new team jacket, MJ gave Peter a nod while walking to her desk and closed the novel she was reading.

“You look tired,” she said. “The Stark calls coming in again?”

That was odd. She never talked to him about his old ‘internship’.

“Uh, no. Just been preparing for the tournament.”

She nodded again and sat down. “Is that all?”

That was even more odd.

“What else would I be doing?” he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and pulled out a notebook. “So, will you guys make practice today?”

“Yup, we’ll be there. Right after Ned gets out of porn lockdown.”

“What?”

Peter grimaced. He just let MJ’s joke slip out without thinking. He turned to give an apologetic smile to Ned.

He had to admit, it was worth it to hear MJ snicker.

“I wasn’t looking at porn,” Ned tried whisper. Too bad Betty was sitting right next to him and scowled. “I really wasn’t.”

“Hey Peter,” MJ spoke up, still stifling a laugh. “I’ll be getting things ready for practice before everyone shows up. You can chill with me.”

He grinned. “I’ll see you there.”

* * *

The school day was rough to say the least. Apparently, the Bugle wasn’t the only one who noticed Spider-Man’s absence, all the presses said the same thing. He was the hottest topic of the day and for bad reason. In a matter of hours, the police had made several arrests. The good thing was, the streets were getting cleared, the bad thing was his classmates had been swiping their phones all day with updates. Peter tried to change subjects and avoid anything related to Spider-Man, but it was impossible.

Fortunately, school was out for the day. However, he had practice to get to, and was expecting more of the same conversations.

He was approaching the meeting room when Ned ran up to him.

“Alright Peter, we gotta talk about this.” His voice was demanding, which didn’t happen often.  As the days had gone by, Ned was getting more and more frustrated with the lack of Spider-Man. And Peter was getting frustrated with Ned.

“Things were a little calm for a while, but the city can’t go without Spider-Man for long. Crime’s picking up again, so why won’t you put the suit back on?”

“Ned…”

Peter really didn’t want to argue. But, it was getting to that point.

“Is this about the bank robber? Dude, people say things to get out of trouble when they get caught. You know that.”

“Ned…”

“You’re not still thinking about Liz and Vulture are you? She told you she’s good.”

“Yeah but her dad’s still out of her life,” Peter spat.

 “You did the right thing.”

“That’s easy for you to say because you still have parents!”

Ned stepped back, and so did Peter.

He didn’t know where it came from. He was so annoyed with questioning and stressed over all the news that he just blurted something out without thinking.

“I’m sorry, man…” Ned said.

His throat felt heavy and his mind was clouded.

“Um, I’m gonna…”

“Yeah,” Ned said, understanding. “I’m late for detention anyway.

Without another word, they walked past each other, going separate ways.

It wasn’t over. Peter knew Ned would bring it up again. But for now, he needed time to think alone about what just happened.

That’s when he walked into the open meeting room to see MJ looking right at him.

Throughout the heat conversation with Ned, he forgot how close they were to the room. He was sure she heard everything.

He closed the door behind him and took a seat next to her, hoping she wouldn’t bring it up. But he knew it was inevitable.

“So, that looked tense.”

Peter avoided her eyes, they tend to get everything out of him. He dug in his backpack for his notes, attempting to get the subject to drop. Still, he was edgy and having MJ stare at him wasn’t helping.

“Do you always have to be so ‘observant’?” he tapped his foot, getting more irritated by the second.

MJ wouldn’t let up. “Peter, what’s going on?”

His head shot up, “Why do you care all of the sudden?”

“I’m just trying to help.”

“I didn’t ask for any help” he snapped.

“Maybe that’s your problem!”

It took a moment for him to realize how close they were. MJ wouldn’t back down. Her glare was sharp, but Peter saw deeper into her eyes, they were hurt. He slowly sat back in his chair, knowing what he had done. In a matter of minutes, he had yelled at both of his closest friends who were just looking out for him.

That was his problem. He had a lot to say, but he hadn’t been saying it.

They sat in silence, neither of them really having the nerve to speak to the other. MJ forcefully shuffled through her flash cards. And Peter just there, basking in his thoughts. It stayed like that for another 20 minutes, until their teammates arrived for practice.

"Did you guys hear about the carjacking this morning?” Cindy ran in frantic. “That could've been one of our parents going to work!"

Abe hit his hand on the window, looking out into the streets. "Where's Spider-Man?"

Peter sank down in his chair, wishing he could disappear.

"He can't be everywhere.” Ned muttered.

They didn’t look at each other to avoid suspicion, but Peter knew that his friend was trying help. He felt even worse now for not seeing it sooner.

"But he's _nowhere_.” Cindy continued. “He isn't even swinging around anymore."

Betty threw her bag on the table, swiping through her tablet for articles. "That's the problem. With no spidey sightings, criminals have started to come out again."

It was true. Peter was afraid this would happen but ignored it until now. The city was in danger and Spider-Man had been gone too long.

Mr. Harrington walked in, already waving his hands to stop the chatter. "Alright, everyone relax. I know there's been some bad news lately, but the police are on top of it. I assure you that you’re all safe on school grounds."

MJ scoffed. "Yeah well, hopefully we don't get mugged on the way home." She passed out sheets around the table, shooting Peter a questionable glare before starting practice.

* * *

That night Peter found himself back in his closet. The spider suit hung right in front of him, as it had the past few weeks. He reached his hand out gently moved past it, reaching for down a small metal chest hidden in the back.

He had to wipe the dust off the top, not having touched it for nearly a year. Peter hesitated but lifted the lid off to reveal old pictures. When he was a kid, Peter loved taking pictures of anything he thought was cool. Some of his favorite memories were when Uncle Ben would buy him a Kodak camera and take him to different parts of New York City to explore. There were pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge, Staten Island Ferry, and Madison Square Garden. The quality was limited due to the basic camera, but he had to admit that he knew how to take good shots as a child.

Peter dropped the rest of the pictures when one caught his eye. It was a simple photo, but felt so heavy in his hands. On top of a rooftop in Queens, was a shot of him in the middle of Uncle Ben and Aunt May. It wasn’t his shot, but it was instantly his favorite. They all looked so happy.

“Peter, do you hear me? Why are you on the floor.”

He turned to see Aunt May walk in with a bag full of Thai food. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she saw him. Her face written with concern. He looked down and saw the picture with tear stains on it now.

"I miss him, Aunt May."

She dropped the bag of food and wrapped him in her arms. Peter gripped her tight as she sobbed along with him. They would ignore the spilled food for now. They stayed in their embrace above the pile of pictures of the greatest man Peter has ever known. His hero.

* * *

"You know I've never left this city?”

May was the first to speak that night. They were sitting on the couch in a comfortable silence after all the tears were dried. It was a moment they hadn’t shared since the funeral. Back then, it got to a point when Peter got tired of being sad. Without realizing, his spider powers became a good distraction.

He shook his head, still not ready to speak himself, but wanting to hear more.

“Your parents traveled everywhere. They would bring back pictures and stories of different states and countries.” She smiled for the first time that night, rubbing his head while recalling the memories. “But they always came home. They would say, ‘there’s no place like New York’. Because, throughout all the crime, there's beauty. All kinds of people, backgrounds, and cultures. If you can win here, you can win anywhere.”

That was the motto of the city. A classic motto that couldn’t be beaten. Uncle Ben used to say it all the time. He was a proud New Yorker, and even had some great quotes of his own. One of kind.

“We just gotta clean up the crime,” May continued. She moved her hand from his head and turned to face him. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Peter. But, you got a gift. Maybe it's the best thing that's ever happened to you and this city.”

His throat felt full again and somehow another tear escaped his eye. His Aunt, the actual best thing in his life, had just said everything he needed to hear. He pulled her into another hug.

“I love you, Aunt May.”

“Love you too, kid.”

* * *

For the first time in weeks, Peter climbed to the top of his building. He didn’t wear the suit, he just wanted to go as himself.

He looked out to see the incredible view of the city. No picture could do this justice. He hadn’t done too much travel in his life, but he was certain that there was no place like New York. The tall buildings held a mix of corporations and apartment buildings. Countless children, like he once was, exploring day by day with their guardians. Students cycling through endless schools with aspirations for futures they dreamed of. It was an amazing place that he was proud to protect.

It was his city and his family’s city. He was right where he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All feedback is appreciated.


	10. Someone to Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's coming late, but it's for a good reason...been playing Spider-Man PS4. And it's the best game of the year!  
> Glad to get back to the story though, and it's a big chapter. More heaviness ahead.
> 
>  
> 
> [Cover Art: click here](https://classic-vision.tumblr.com/post/177535196979/the-reality-of-spider-man-begins-to-weigh-on-peter)

_“Hey bro!”_

“Peter?” Ned asked through his phone. He wiped the sleep out his eyes while walking to his first class. “Where are you? You’re gonna be late.”

_“Yeah, about that. I’m gonna be really late today. There’s some trouble makers going around Queens that need a web adjustment.”_

Ned’s eyes shot open. “Are you serious? You’re back in the game?”

_“Hey, somebody’s gotta look out for the little guy, right?” By the way man, about yesterday. I was just…”_

“Oh dude, it’s fine. I get it.” Ned leaned against the lockers, grinning.

_“So, still bros?”_

“You know it, bro!”

_“You’re the best, Ned. Alright, I got some crime to catch up to.”_

“I’ll tell the teachers you got sick. Later, Spidey.”

When the line disconnected, Ned put his phone back in his pocket. In a matter of minutes, it, along with everyone else’s phone, would explode would news of Spider-Man. It was gonna be a great day.

But before that happened, the bell rang.

Ned ran off to class hoping to avoid another detention.

* * *

It had been far too long.

The days felt like weeks, and the weeks felt like months. And the past few days were the slowest of all in Queens. The streets were contained with crime again. Without any real threat of punishment, criminals were on the loose, terrifying civilians.

Until today

Cops had arrived on the scene to find criminals stuck to walls, covered in artificial web fluid. Civilians were found on the sidewalks, scrolling through their phones for pictures taken just moments before. Videos went viral on social media, with several hash tags and countless comments.

Spider-Man was back.

And his next stop, was a local museum robbery, taking place just a few miles away from Mid-Town Tech.

Peter scouted the scene from the sky window. There were only three robbers, but all were armed. A group a visitors and employees cowered in the corner while one of the employees was being questioned.

Not wanting to waste another second, Peter dropped to the ground. All eyes shifted over to him in awe. The hostages were ecstatic, the robbers were shocked.

“Sup fellas. Is it weird I’m kind of glad to see you?” he joked.

“SPIDER-MAN? I thought you were gone?”

“Oh, come on. Don’t you have twitter? I’m trending.”

Two of them loaded up their guns, but by the time they pointed them at Peter he shot his webs out and removed the guns from their hands. Foolishly, the decided to charge at him. Enjoying the thrill, Peter flipped over them and webbed them both to the ground before landing on his feet.

The last robber nervously dropped his gun and took off running. Peter shot his web low, tangling up the man’s ankles to drop him hard against the ground.

“You know, these guys actually don’t get enough credit,” he said, walking up to one of the employees. “They always have the best eye for quality. That’s how you know you got good stuff here.”

The woman gave a soft laugh and wiped a tear from her eye. “Spider-Man, thank you. I thought I was never going to see my family again.”

Peter nearly broke character, but quickly regained his composure. He saw the police arrive outside the doors. His job was done, he had done good today.

“That’s what I’m here for, ma’am. Take care.”

He shot a web to the roof and swung out of the window.

Peter swung from rooftop to rooftop in Queens, stopping every instance of crime activity in sight. It was his city and he was going to keep it clean.

* * *

Word traveled fast that day at Midtown Tech. Kids bumped into each other as they exited the school while showing their phones to their friends. All the chatter was on the same topic, their favorite hero had returned.

Peter was overjoyed to hear the praise of his secret alter ego. But he didn’t have time to talk to anyone about it. After all, he had skipped the whole school day to play superhero. It was risky coming to school after hours, but he had someone he needed to see.

He walked into the practice room and sure enough, MJ was there, preparing the drills.

She looked up at the sound of the door shutting.

“Hey,” Peter said.

“Hey,” she replied.

“I’m sor-”

“Please, Peter. Not one of your apologies. Everyone’s allowed to get mad.”

“Even at friends?” he muttered just loud enough for her to hear. He scratched his head while offering her an innocent smile. She seemed surprised that he felt so bad about their brief argument.

MJ pushed her hair back. Her eyes were the calmest he’d ever seen them.

“I’m no expert, but aren’t friends supposed to argue sometimes?” she said with a shrug of the shoulders. “How else are you supposed to get through the tough crap?”

Her words warmed Peter’s heart. He didn’t have many friends, but he chose them well. MJ was definitely a friend worth keeping.

Now feeling assured, Peter took a seat next to her. He decided it was time to start trusting his friend.

“True. And I haven’t been honest with you or anyone.”

MJ pushed her notes a side and folded her arms on the table, giving Peter her undivided attention.

Peter took a deep breath. Other than his Aunt and Ned, he hadn’t really talked to anyone about this for months. Even those conversations were brief, especially once he became Spider-Man.

“Last year, was the toughest year of my life. My Uncle Ben was like my dad.”

He paused for a moment to assess MJ. She, along with the rest of the school, were aware that his Uncle was killed by a car jacker. It was only on the news for a day, but word always traveled fast in high school. Multiple students and faculty offered their condolences to him when he returned to school from bereavement. He didn’t know MJ then. They weren’t teammates or even acquaintances. She was just another kid in his classes.

She nodded for him to continue.

“My Aunt May went through so much and…it’s just been tough. So sometimes I get, um, distracted.”

He didn’t want to tell her about Spider-Man just yet. One big conversation at a time. However, it was true that once he got his powers, it helped him to over the tragic loss of his uncle. Only now he realized he was just delaying the grieving.

“And the distractions helped. Because of that, I never really got a chance to bond with the team, including you. But I want to let you know that I’m glad you’re our captain. You’re really good at it,” he finished.

Peter exhaled again. It felt good to say it all out loud. Now he just waited for MJ’s response. He didn’t expect her to say anything special, he just wanted to see what she would say at all to such a heavy confession.

MJ pushed her hair back again and looked around the room as if she was gathering her thoughts before speaking, which would be a rare for her. It let Peter know that she was taking the conversation seriously. She slouched in her chair and crossed her arms. Peter mirrored her gesture.

“You know why I joined the academic team?” she asked.

Peter wasn’t sure how the two subjects were connected, but he shook his head for her to continue. It was a good question anyway, MJ never did seem like the type to join school clubs.

“While you were on bereavement, I heard Liz talking to Mr. Harrington one day and they were both having a stress case about the team. Apparently, they had been losing without you. I went up to them and told them I was on the honor roll and I’ll fill in until you got back. One year later, I’m still here.

Peter smiled brighter than he had in days. He was truly touched. Again, MJ was helping him out without him even knowing it. At that point, they weren’t even friends. But that one kind act not only helped him but resulted in her staying on the team and they slowly grew a friendship over the past year.

“Thank you, MJ.”

She shrugged. “Eh, it got my parents off my back. They were always on me about extra curriculars and crap.”

They sat there for a moment, not saying anything more. Peter was content with the scene. Sitting with MJ was very comfortable, pleasant.

She moved her notes back in front of her, but it was clear her mind was elsewhere. She tapped her pen against the table a couple times before dropping it.

“This school is so fake. People who never took time to talk to you or were assholes all the sudden were giving you condolences and flowers for a day just because it was in the school paper. Soon as you came back it was like nothing changed.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah it was weird. But honestly, I didn’t mind. It was actually kind of nice. I wasn’t expecting anyone but Ned to care. I knew people weren’t gonna be nice to me forever, but it felt good to see that they at least cared to say something. Even just for a day.”

She pushed her hair back again. This time they were the sincerest he had ever seen them.

“I am sorry,” she said. “I don’t have much family either, other than my parents. I can’t even imagine one of them gone. I know I never said anything but, I just didn’t want to come off like fake sympathy.”

Peter waived it off. It was the first time he heard her apologize, and it was nice. Still, it meant so much more to know what she had done for him. MJ showed her kindness more than she spoke it. That was just her style, and he was good with that.

He looked down at her notes for the first time and something caught his eye. Beneath a sheet of equations, looked to be a drawing. He reached for it and pulled it out to reveal a doodle of a random person.

“Why are you always sketching people?” he laughed, waiving the sheet in front of her.

“Cause” she playfully snatched it back and shoved it at the bottom of her pile of notes.  “People are fake when they talk. They say a lot, but they ain’t really saying nothing, you know? Most communication is body language and facial expressions. You can tell a lot more about a person by looking at them instead of talking to them.”

Peter wanted to make a joke but found himself agreeing. It actually made sense, the more he thought about it.

“Some people wear masks,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t really know how cool someone is until you talk to them.”

“Or if you just look closer.”

Suddenly, he realized how close they were. He noticed the calmness in her eyes had been replaced with something else, they were enticing. He noticed a couple of curls fell against her forehead, how smooth her cheek bones were, down to her lips…they were really close.

Peter jumped back at the same time she did. MJ moved her attention back to her notes and Peter looked for a distraction. His face was growing hotter by the second, until his eyes landed back on her pile of notes.

“Hey, have you ever thought about photography?” he said quickly. It was a spur of the moment thought, but he decided it was actually a good suggestion. He recalled the photos he found the night before of him and his family. “You know the whole, ‘a picture’s worth a thousand words’. Plus, it’s a lot less creepy than drawing someone,” he teased.

“Weird,” she said, digging in her backpack. “A friend of mine suggested the same thing.”

She pulled out what looked to be a new camera. It had been a while since he took pictures, but Peter knew cameras, and MJ was holding a top quality one.

“Nice. How long have you been using it?” he asked.

She laughed at his enthusiasm. “I haven’t really. I got this as a gift recently and it seems cool, but I don’t know. Do you think taking pictures of people every day just doing regular stuff is kind of weird?”

“Uh, you ever hear of social media? Welcome to our generation.”

MJ laughed again and stood up. “Alright, brace yourself. You’re gonna be my first model. Extreme pressure.”

“Let me get ready.” He stood up and dusted himself off and pretended to brush his hair. “Should I say cheese?”

“Ugh, don’t. No way I’m gonna get used to that.”

“CHEESE!” he beamed.

A wave shot through his head. His senses tingled, drawing his eyes to the window behind MJ.

“Peter, you looked away.”

He didn’t respond. Out of the window were blue and red lights and a police siren filling the air.

MJ turned to the window to see what he was seeing. When she turned back to him, her expression was stern.

“You should go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fun turns back up next time. We going to Cali!
> 
> All feedback is appreciated.


	11. Confessions in Cali

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cover Art: click here](https://classic-vision.tumblr.com/post/177535196979/the-reality-of-spider-man-begins-to-weigh-on-peter)

Los Angeles, home to the golden state of California.

Los Angeles, host of the iconic Hollywood.

A city of palm trees, beautiful beaches, and endless sunshine. Most importantly, L.A. contained Disneyland. New York was the city of dreams, but Disneyland was where dreams came true. And L.A. was where champions were made. All Peter had to do was make sure his team won the tournament and they would have a whole day of fun in Disneyland.

From the moment the plane landed, he had been taking pictures, noting how different the city was from his own. Now they were on a bus on the way to their hotel. He spent most of the time gazing out the window at the scenery. And he would be enjoying it a lot more if MJ wasn’t grilling the team the whole ride.

“MJ, can we take a break already?” Ned groaned, rubbing his arm for friction while filming with his phone through the bus window. “I’m trying to enjoy the palm trees and this surprisingly chill weather.”

“Almost done.” MJ flipped through flash cards. She stood in the aisle way, occasionally using a hand to grip the top of a bus seat for balance when they hit a bump in the road. “I just need to get a set order for the tournament. Unlike Decathlon, we’re gonna have to take turns competing against our opponents.”

Peter took a pause from gazing at the scenery when his seat partner bumped into him again to shiver. “Dude, why’d you wear short sleeves?”

Ned rubbed his arms again, trying to get rid of the goosebumps forming. “It’s sunny all year out here. I thought that included warmth.”

“You need a lesson in humidity,” MJ said, not bothering to look up from her flash cards.

“How was I rude?”

“Not _humility_ , humidity.” She shook her head and scribbled down a note.

Peter felt a bump from the seat in front of him where his legs where resting. Above him was an overjoyed Betty beaming down from her seat.

“Hi Ned!”

“Oh, hey Betty.”

Peter nearly laughed at his friend’s stretching grin. Ned tended to shut down and get nervous around a crush. But then again, looking to his left at a certain captain, Peter couldn’t really blame him.

“Can you do me a favor, and please tell Abe that Pluto _is in fact_ a planet?”

“It is not!” Abe stated.

Ned gulped. “Actually Betty, I don’t think it is...”

“Pluto is _so_ a planet,” she insisted. That’s what they thought us in grade school.”

“Actually, they’ve changed it a couple of times.” Peter chimed in. “Right now, I believe it’s considered to be a dwarf planet.”

“So it is a _planet_ ,” she countered.

“Well…”

“Okay, I’m checking Tumblr.” Betty dropped back in her seat and typed away on her phone.

MJ leaned over the back of Betty’s seat, peeping at the phone with a raised eyebrow. “You really resort to that for your fact checks?”

“Hey, I trust social media more than I trust the word our government.”

MJ smiled. “Good point. You’re second in line.”

“Second?”

“Yes. Abe, you’re first. Pluto is not a planet.”

“HA!”

MJ flipped through her cards again and nodded at her notes as if she was satisfied with the outcome.

“Ned, third. Cindy, fourth. And Peter…

At the sound of his name, Peter straightened up in his seat. MJ took her time before finishing. She looked at him, tapping her finger to her chin as if she was still pondering.

“When we get there, can you just stay close to me?”

He felt his face flush and shifted in his seat. “Sure. Uh, why?”

“Because if you need to do one of your ‘urgent emergencies’ and have to take off, I need to know so I can adjust the team accordingly.”

MJ turned her back to him and walked to the front to talk to Mr. Harrington. Meanwhile, Peter’s face was cooling down. All his previous discomfort was now replaced with a different type of concern.

 “See dude,” he whispered to his right. “I tried to tell you.”

Ned nodded frantically. “Yeah, I definitely think she knows.”

“So what are we gonna do?”

“We?”

Peter bumped shoulder with him. “Yes _we_. We’re a team, remember?”

“Well dang, man,” Ned said almost too loud. “I’m just the guy in the chair. I don’t do this direct-action stuff in the field. That’s your game. I’m getting anxious like crazy now.”

“Alright just calm down. We can think of something.”

Ned leaned in closer. “You think she’s gonna tell people?”

Peter shook his head instantly. “No. MJ doesn’t like people. So we’re good there.”

“Oh yeah. So, why is it bad that she knows?”

He opened his mouth, but immediately shut it when he realized he didn’t have an answer. Him and MJ were friends now, and decided they earned each other’s trust. Plus, Ned and Aunt May already know about him being Spider-Man, so why not her too? She wasn’t the type to go around telling other people and there didn’t seem to be any harm in just letting one more person in on his secret. The more Peter thought about it, it made more sense to tell MJ.

“Besties keeping secrets?”

At the sight of MJ towering over them, Peter jumped out of his seat. She smirked at his awkwardness, he was sure she enjoyed the way she could always get a reaction out of him. He looked back Ned for confirmation, but just got a shrug in return.

Thanks a lot.

“No, we’re not,” Peter began. He pulled MJ back a couple of seats so that the they were just out of earshot from the others on the bus. “Because friends are honest with each other. Like we talked about.”

“I agree.”

MJ stood attentively. Her normal poker face was replaced with an expression of curiosity. It almost felt like she knew what he was going to say already, but just wanted to hear it.

 “So, is there anything you wanna tell me?” he asked, instantly hating himself. He couldn’t believe he didn’t have the guts to be direct with her.

She smirked, crossing her arms. “I feel like I should be asking you that question.”

“Beat ya to it,” he forced a laugh, one she didn’t follow.

MJ looked him over from head to toe. He figured his nerves were showing, and that made him even more anxious.

“Fair enough.”

He blinked a couple times in disbelief. Somehow, it looked like was actually winning a battle of wits with Michelle Jones and she was going to admit to knowing about his secret identify for him.

She sighed. “Look Peter, I um. I’ve been having these feelings for a while about you.”

He crossed his arms, doing his best impression of her. It made him feel powerful, controlling the conversation.

“Really? How long have you known?”

“Dude, I don’t know.” She dropped her arms to her waist and shuffled her feet. “A good amount of time, I guess. That’s why I been trying to hang with you and Ned more.”

He nodded. “To find out the truth.”

“Well, yeah. I figured if nothing else we could at least be friends.”

And there it was. She admitted that she…wait.

“Wait, what?”

She looked up and locked eyes with him. There was no mistaking what she said next. “I got a crush on you.”

Peter dropped his arms to the side. His mouth went agape and stepped back only to bump into a bus seat. He hadn’t been expecting this at all. He thought she was going to talk about Spider-Man when in actuality she was showing him her genuine feelings.

“MJ, I didn’t, I-,” he stuttered. “I had no idea.”

“Yup, I got it bad for you, that comb over haircut, and those science shirts.”

Well that didn’t sound genuine at all. It sounded more sarcastic. Was she playing him? But what would be the point of telling him this ‘secret’?

“So now, anything you wanna tell me?” she asked.

Crap

“We’re here!” Mr. Harrington shouted from the front of the bus.

MJ scoffed and made her way to the front but not before saying, “You owe me a confession.”

It took Ned to literally shake Peter out of his shock. Perhaps all this time she knew the truth. Or maybe she didn’t and had only figured it out recently. Maybe he slipped up and gave it away. Or maybe she doesn’t know anything and was messing with him. The girl was an unsolvable mystery. What he did know though, he lost the battle of wits.

They got off the bus at a hotel resort. On the outside, it was stunning, tall, and luxurious. The best part of it was, the school was covering their stay. Sometimes it paid to be smart. It was so nice that Peter briefly was able to forget about his situation, briefly.

He walked over to MJ and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the voice of Mr. Harrington.

“Welcome to L.A everyone. And for this occasion, I have a nice surprise for you all. Take a look.”

They looked over to where he was pointing. In the parking lot, the door of a blue sedan opened. Out stepped a tall girl with dark hair and a sweet smile, waving at them.

“Liz!” The team ran over in glee, hugging her.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Betty said.

Liz giggled, trying to balance out all the hugs. “Mr. Harrington invited me and asked if I could make it for the tournament. Luckily, I have an aunt that lives out here so she’s letting me visit for the weekend.”

“We wouldn’t have made it this far without you,” Peter said.

“Oh, you guys are the best. I missed you. I can’t wait to catch up with everyone.”

“Hey Liz, check the jackets.” Ned spun around modeling the championship attire.

Her eyes popped, admiring the new gear they were sporting. “Nice! Looks good on you.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Alright now, first things first, lunch time. Where’s the nearest pizza place?”

“Oh. Actually, there aren’t many pizza options out here,” she replied.

“… Excuse me?”

Seeing all the stares, Liz took a step back and gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah, the life style’s really different on this side of the country. The thing out here are juice bars.”

“Juice?” Cindy said in disgust. “What are we supposed to do with that? We want food.”

“They serve as meal replacements. It’s a lot healthier for y-”

“Liz, we’re hungry. Who cares about nutrition at a time like this?” Abe exclaimed.

“Okay everybody stop panicking.” Liz shouted at her East Coast friends. “I’ll take you to a place that’s perfectly unhealthy and delicious.”

* * *

Rosco’s Chicken and Waffles

“Oh my lord! Where have you been my whole life.”

Ned squeezed more syrup on his waffle and took another bite. He chewed slowly, savoring the cinnamon flavor.

“Now I see why so many people move out here.” Peter took another bite of the fried skin off his chicken. The whole team shared his grin while they chowed down. “This is the best thing ever.”

“I know. I remember my first time out here when I was a freshman,” Liz said, cutting up her waffle. “There are some cool things outside of New York. But don’t get me wrong, that will always be home.”

“Oregon doesn’t have blue and red spandex flying through the sky?”

Peter nearly chocked on his orange juice. MJ brought up the subject so calmly, sipping her tea while the rest of the team stopped eating. All eyes moved to Liz. Besides himself, he didn’t know if anyone had to talked to her about the Spider-Man and Vulture incident.

Liz patted her mouth with a napkin and nodded. “Actually, you be surprised. It’s an artsy culture so I see a lot of things that make New York look normal,” she chuckled. “But Spider-Man’s always going to be good in my book. I see the news, he’s still keeping people safe.”

“He keeps us all safe. We need him,” MJ said.

Peter looked back and forth between the two girls. He felt lucky, Liz held no grudge against him, despite what happened to her dad. And MJ continued to surprise him, she got straight to the point and addressed the issue that forced Liz to move in the first place, something no one else had the guts to do. He could learn from her.

“How are you doing?” she continued.

Liz smiled. “I’m good, mom and I our hanging in there. I’ve got really cool classmates, you’ll meet some of them at the tournament. And I got some college visits coming up that I’m really excited for.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” MJ said.

“Me too,” Peter followed.

He was happy to see how well things were going. He wondered if perhaps he wasn’t lucky, just that he made the right decision. Spider-Man helped people, even when he wasn’t sure if was. He was a hero that did what he had to do whether it was easy or tough. Spider-Man was Peter Parker, and Peter Parker was Spider-Man.

* * *

After lunch, they went back to the hotel to check into their rooms and unload their luggage. Liz hung around and chatted with everybody. Peter and Ned roomed together and talked about what happened on the bus. Peter made another decision, he had to stop wasting time and tell MJ the truth.

When it was time for the tournament, they all met up in the lobby. MJ was standing on her own, looking out the glass doors into the parking lot. Peter took a deep breath and stepped up to her.

“Alright MJ, it’s time we talk.”

She patted his shoulder without looking. “Good. But, hold that thought. Yo, Liz!” she called out before walking over to Mr. Harrington, who walked into the lobby holding something he got out of the bus.

“Just a little gift, for one of my favorite students,” he said.

Liz walked up and put her hands out to receive a bundle of blue and gold fabric. She looked between the two beaming faces in front of her in disbelief. Her eyes started to water, and the rest of the team gathered around her.

“We got a spare jacket for ya,” MJ said. “Every championship team needs a captain.”

She took the jacket out of Liz’s hands and opened it up. She held it out to let Liz slip arms through.

It was a pleasant sight. Peter was so happy to see how touched Liz was. Out of everyone on the team, she deserved the championship more than everybody. The ever-surprising Michelle Jones found a way to keep her apart of the team.

Liz pulled on the jacked and wiped her eyes. “Thanks guys. I love it.”

Suddenly, her smile turned to a smirk. She clinched her fist and stood tall.

“Alright team. Let’s show these west coast geeks who’s boss. Queens style!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always felt like Liz got done dirty in the movie. She had an important role but got out shined by her dad, the villian, hten got shipped out west. This is my way of giving her character some closure.
> 
> Next, it's tournament time and Spidey's back.


	12. Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cover Art: click here](https://classic-vision.tumblr.com/post/177535196979/the-reality-of-spider-man-begins-to-weigh-on-peter)

Game day

Or Trivia day

Brain day?

Whatever it was, today was the day. The day of the USAD west coast invitational tournament (which could use a new name) that Peter had been waiting for. He, MJ, Ned, and the rest of the academic team had been practicing for weeks. Even though they were decathlon champions, they held a hunger as if they had never won anything before. He figured that’s what happened with Michelle Jones in charge.

They arrived at a convention center in Anaheim an exit away from their hotel. Like the rest of LA, the building was no where near as tall as the ones in New York, but it was very wide. The front doors were all glass that opened automatically when they stepped forward. The lobby was an open floor with staff members greeting them with polite smiles. It gave Peter the impression of their hotel, only with a higher level of luxury. He looked up to see the green digital banner moving across the black screen high on the walls.

_Welcome scholars!_

Peter grinned. Through out the pass year of adventures as Spider-Man, he often forgot that he was well accomplished himself. He was a scholar, a national champion, and today he would add to that resume.

“Bro.” Ned’s arm draped around him. “Can you believe we’re getting athlete treatment? This is so cool.”

“New generation, baby.” MJ grinned. She squeezed her hands in-between the boys to separate them, only to put herself in the middle and pull them close to her. “And check the prize.”

Peter moved his gaze to where MJ’s was. Out the glass doors, in the distance, behind rows of palm trees, stood tall roller coasters.

“You like rides, MJ?”

“Hell yeah! You think I went through all this for nothing? I need to get my thrills. And I’m trying to get on every single one. If you’re game?”

“You’re on!”

After a quick pep talk by Liz, they all followed her to a set of tall double doors. She gripped the handle and took a deep breath, looking back at the group. After one last nod of assurance, she opened the door and they walked into a large room with the other contestants already waiting. Hundreds of seats surrounded them. A lot were empty, but plenty were full. The audience as usual contained family members of the contestants, but there were a lot more kids in attendance than what Peter was used to for these competitions. His guess was they were students from local schools attending for extra credit, but he was still glad to see the USAD was really going out of their way to increase popularity.

In the middle of the room were two podiums were the trivia would be given. To the right of the podiums was the judges table, there were three of them. The judges wore suits, the other schools wore matching uniforms, leaving Midtown to stand out.

They entered the room proudly with their team varsity jackets. The blue and gold gear stole all the attention in the room, along with the music.

Music?

Peter stopped, along with the rest of his team, seeing Ned march forward with his phone held up high playing a song.

“Dude, what are you doing?”

Ned nearly tripped, coming to a stop. He looked back at his teammates giving him odd looks.

“I thought we could use some theme music. Like in sports”

“Oh, good lord. Give me that!” MJ snatched the phone out of his hand and turned off the sound. She marched forward, motioning for the team to follow. “Let’s get this over with people. We got roller coasters to ride.”

The judges directed Midtown to their seats and explained the rules of the tournament. They were already well aware and prepared for the competition. MJ’s practice sessions gave the team confidence and with Liz back guiding them, they were sure to win.

The tournament was simple, two students would be called up at a time and would be given a trivia question from various topics at the highest level of the USAD. The student who answers first gets to move on, the other would be eliminated. Last school standing wins.

A round of applause filled the room when the judge introduced them as the highest scholars in the nation. Peter saw every one of his teammates smiling from ear to ear. It truly was humbling. They were the best.

As the judges explained the background of the new tournament, Peter heard his phone rang. He cursed under his breath and went to turn it off but stopped when he saw the screen. He pulled the phone closer to his eyes before answering, not believing the name he saw.

“Happy?” he whispered into the phone.

 _“Hey Peter. How’s L.A?”_ Happy asked nonchalant.

Peter turned slightly from the sight of the judges and lowered the volume on his phone.

“Um, I just got here but it’s ni…wait. How did you know I was here?”

_“There’s no information that money can’t find. I stop questioning Tony along time ago.”_

Peter rolled his eyes. He figured that Tony still was tracking his suit somehow.

“Okay. What’s up?”

_“I just got word from Tony. He thinks somethings going down in Disneyland. Something about a smuggling and the Cinderella Castle. Think you can look into it?”_

“I’m on it.”

_“I got fond memories of that place, kid. Take care of it. Oh, and check out the ride with the pirates. You’ll thank me later.”_

Peter hung up and was ready to run off. Before he did though, he took a quick glance at the room. He was going the miss the competition again. He felt bad, but he knew he had a more important task to do. He had to be a hero.

To his right was MJ, still listening to the judges.

He took a deep breath. It was now or never.

“MJ,” he said, getting her attention.

She turned to him, arms crossed.

“Yeah?”

Peter pointed to his phone nervously. “That was the Stark internship.”

She nodded. “Yeah?”

“They just called because…” he gulped. The words just wouldn’t come out, but he had to hurry. “Um, well…”

“Skip the cliché dramatic speech, man. The anticipation is killing me.”

“Hey, it’s a lot harder than you think!”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be a _Parker_ , be a Peter. Out with it!”

This girl was just too much sometimes. Peter couldn’t take it. If she wanted the truth, then here it is.

“FINE, I’m Spider-Man,” he said through mad whisper. I’m half-way an Avenger. And now there’s trouble in Disneyland and I gotta go.”

Peter bit his lip, feeling his face heat. He just told her his biggest secret in a crowded room that he needed to leave right away. Meanwhile, MJ’s face went from blank to concerned.

“They got Mickey?”

“Yes! Wait, what?”

How was that her concern. Was she joking? He could never read her.

“I don’t know. That’s why I gotta go.”

MJ nodded and turned back to the judges while responding calmly. “Alright. I’ll hold things down here. You go save Micky and the crew.”

He started leave but stopped to blurt out. “I hate to let the team down.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just tell them you got a chronic case of diarrhea.”

“Wha-”

“Go!”

* * *

Peter swung through the sky and dropped fast to a perfect landing inside the gate of Disneyland.

Now dressed in his suit, he started to gain attention of the tourists. Ignoring them, he used the phone in his mask to call Tony.

No answer.

“Crap,” he said to himself. Using his mask lens, he looked around frantically trying to find the Cinderella Castle. Among all the extravagant attractions, a tall blue and white set of triangular crafted buildings stood out the most. “That’s gotta be it.”

Peter swung by the attractions. He web slinging by the crafted mountains and coasters, landing hallway to the top of the castle. Through his lens, he got a glimpse of two men outside of the highest window on the balcony. Without time to waste, he sprinted up as fast as he could.

* * *

_Ding_

Abe beat his opponent to the buzzer.

“Osmosis.”

“Correct. Midtown advances.”

* * *

Peter flipped over the rail landing in front of the men. They dropped their binoculars at the sight of him.

“Hey guys, nice view huh?”

“Spider-Man? I thought you were in New York.”

“Heard I had fans on the west coast. But if you guys really wanted to get my attention, I respond to DMs.”

One of them went for the pistol on his waste. Peter webbed it down before he had a chance to grip it. The other swung his fist at Peter’s head, which he ducked on instinct. Peter ducked a second punch, causing it to connect with his partner. He webbed their arms around each other until both men were stuck back to back.

“So,” he said, watching them squirm. “Word on the nation-wide superhero network says there’s some smuggling going on in Mickey’s kingdom. And I can’t let you do that to the world’s favorite mouse.”

Peter kicked them over so now they were stuck to each other and wobbling on the ground. After a few curses and squirms, they tired out and gave in.

“The truck,” one muttered. “Gift shop.”

Peter looked over the balcony and focused his lens to move past the crowd of tourist. In the distance by the gift shop, was large logistics truck with no name branding pulling up.

* * *

_Ding_

Ned slammed his palm on the buzzer.

“The Pythagorean Theorem.”

His leg shook anticipating the result from his answer. The judges marked down something on the table before one spoke up.

“Correct. Midtown advances.”

“WOO!” Ned jumped up and did fist pump at his teammates. “We on fire!”

“Quiet down, Midtown,” the judge said.

“Sorry.”

* * *

Peter swung past the last mountain and soared through the air falling fast to the truck. Men wearing no name uniforms began to unload the truck and pull out boxes.

He landed right in front of the open doorway, blocking their entrance.

“Before you ask,” he breathed out, “No I’m not the new mascot. Disney decided to go with the Jedi.”

“Spider-Man?” The shop clerk said from inside. “What are you doing here?”

Peter took another moment to catch his breath before responding. “Buddy, just do me a favor and call for security.”

The smugglers dropped their boxes and made a run for it. Peter webbed two of them down and leaped over them drop another with kick. The last two tried to fight back unarmed. He dogged their blows easily and took each down with punches to the jaw.

After webbing them up, he went to one of the boxes. He tore it open and pulled out a doll with a rip in the back. He reached in and pulled a wad of cash.

“My guess is these are counterfeit,” he said to the security who just arrived. “One way or another, they wanted to make their dreams come true here.”

The guards began to confiscate the boxes while one of them approached Peter.

“Thanks, Spidey. We owe you one.”

Peter shrugged. “Just doing my j-”

A round of applause stunned Peter. He looked all around him to see the gather crowd of tourists. They weren’t taking pictures or trying to record him, they were just cheering for him. Their hero.

* * *

_Ding_

“Wakanda Vibranium.”

MJ’s voice echoed through the whole room.

The audience was on the edge of their seats, her opponent whipped sweat off her forehead, while her school watched on. Ned crossed his fingers, Liz bit her lip, Betty covered her eyes.

The judges whispered to each other before standing up from their table. The judge in the middle smiled and pulled the microphone close.

“Correct. Midtown wins!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left. See ya there


	13. Responsibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took way longer than I thought, but here we are. The final chapter!
> 
> RIP Stan Lee. May Spidey continue to bring us more great content and characters.
> 
>  
> 
> [Cover Art: click here](https://classic-vision.tumblr.com/post/177535196979/the-reality-of-spider-man-begins-to-weigh-on-peter)

“Hey Aunt May.” Peter answered the phone tirelessly. He struggled to balance the phone between his ear and shoulder while changing back to his clothes in the cramped bathroom stall.

 _“Good work out there,”_ she said.

“What are you talking about?”

_“Disneyland. They got you stopping the bad guys on the news.”_

“Oh, right.” He nearly tripped coming out of the stall, stopping at the mirror to straighten up the collar of his decathlon jacket. “You’re not worried?”

There was a brief pause on the line before he heard May sigh.

_“Well, Usually I avoid watching the news because I thought seeing you battle would give me a heart attack.”_

Hearing that was tough for Peter. He wanted to comment but rubbed his head and stay quiet, deciding to fully hear her out.

_“But I finally decided to watch, and it turned out better than I thought. You look like you know what you’re doing out there.”_

He smiled. “Does that mean I have a new fan?”

_“I’ll always be your number one fan, Peter.”_

“Thanks Aunt May. That’s great to hear.”

_“Now go enjoy the rides. And bring back pictures!”_

“Will do.”

Peter put away his phone and took one last look in the mirror. He really liked how the school jacket looked on him. He was proud to have saved the day yet again. But all that was on his mind now was rejoining his friends and celebrating their victory.

It wasn’t long after the police finished rounding up the criminals that Peter received a call from Ned telling him that Midtown won the tournament. It was a bittersweet feeling. All the time and work he put into practicing for the tournament this time around, only to leave his friends again. Still, when he saw the criminals being put away, he felt sure that he made the right decision. There was a high responsibility given to him that he now accepted. He was Spider-Man, and he always will be.

The sound of a bus pulling up brought him out of his thoughts.

A wave of blue and gold jackets jumped off the bus and rushed to the gate. Peter laughed watching his teammates spazzing at the ticket booth. Being Spider-Man was great, but at times like this he just enjoyed being Peter Parker.

Ned ran through the entrance, beating everyone else. “Bro! You’re never gonna believe it,” he exclaimed, shaking Peter’s jacket.

Peter chuckled, pulling his friend off him. “I know bro, champions.”

“Bump that. Betty kissed me.”

Peter’s eyes went as wide as Ned’s.

“Dude!”

“DUDE!”

“What happened?” Peter looked back to make sure the others were still at a good distance from hearing them. “Tell me.”

“I don’t know. After we won, she just grabbed me and planted one right here.” Ned pointed to his lips dramatically. “So it’s official.”

“Wow. Then what did you do?”

“I went to find you, but MJ said you had to do your Spidey thing. That was awesome by the way!” he pulled out his phone, waving it in Peter’s face. “I was watching Youtube recaps on the ride over.”

Peter pushed the phone out of the way and grabbed Ned by his jacket, shaking him to focus. “Dude, what about Betty?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I came to you. I can’t let this momentum die. Help!”

Both were frantic and the other teammates were starting to enter the park. That’s when the idea struck Peter.

“Take her on a ride.”

Ned thumbed his own head as if it was the most obvious idea in the world. “Good idea. And you…” he nudged Peter, tilting his head toward MJ who was talking with Mr. Harrington. “Finish the script.”

Peter gulped as Ned ran off towards Betty. For once, he thought Ned was on to something. It was a great day for all of them. If there was ever a time for something to happen with MJ, it was today.

But before that, the rest of his teammates made their way through toward him. He braced himself for all the backlash he was expecting for ditching them again. Instead, they all gave him high fives and ran right pass him to head to the rides. Perhaps they were too excited to scold him, or they were just used to Peter not showing up. Either way he felt like he dodged a bullet.

“We did it!” Liz said to him, beaming in her team jacket.

Peter was expecting some resentment from her too but like a true captain, she focused on the win.

“Congrats. Well deserved.”

“Thank you. How’s your stomach?”

His mouth dropped at the question. He remembered MJ’s great diarrhea excuse for him when he told her he had to leave. Only he didn’t think she was serious.

“She really told everybody that?”

Liz giggled. “I’m just glad you’re able to get on rides with her. She’s really excited about it.”

He perked up at that. He looked over again at the topic of their conversation and she was fast approaching them.

“I’ve never seen her this excited. I guess that’s the Disney affect.”

Liz rolled her eyes and shoved him forward. “Get _observant_ , Peter.”

Before he had time to react, MJ was right in his face with the brightest smile he’d ever seen on her. “

“Yo Peter, it’s coaster time! I’m sure Harrington wants us to do the old buddy system. Wanna parner up?

“Yes!” he said too loudly. “I mean, yeah that’s cool.”

She rolled her eyes and dragged him inside the park. “Come on, dork.”

* * *

The afternoon was filled with Peter and MJ exploring the theme park’s finest. Ride after rider, attraction after attraction, laughter and screams were exchanged for every loop and drop they experienced. The long lines were cut short by the USAD providing fast passes for the champions, along with MJ recapping the events of the tournament. Peter was jealous, but MJ declared he had the better story when he told her about the smuggling he’d stopped earlier.

Night was approaching, meaning their time was coming to an end. Peter didn’t bother watching the clock and instead enjoyed every minute he was spending with MJ. Throughout the day, things had been going so well that he was surprised the biggest subject hadn’t come up. Perhaps because he didn’t know how to address it. Or maybe it was because being with her was so effortless. Still, something needed to be said.

“That has to be the best one,” she cheered when they exited a coaster. “You can’t go wrong with Pirates.”

Peter made a mental note to thank Happy for the suggestion. At that thought, he rubbed his head and spoke up.

“So how long did you know I was Spider-Man?”

MJ stuck her hands in her jacket pockets, her energy calming. She looked at the ground while they walked as if she was trying to remember how she figured out herself.

“I’ve had my suspicions since the beginning of the year. You ditched your glasses, dropped out of most of your clubs, and turned into a beast at gym. Plus, the whole Stark Internship thing was a little too convenient when Spidey started swinging around Queens.”

He chuckled. “When you say it like that, it sounds obvious. Then again, most people don’t obsess over me.”

She snickered, bumping his shoulder with her own.

“ _Observant_.” At that moment she went out of character and stole one of his gestures, rubbing her head. “Peter, do I look like I go to stupid high school dances or lame house parties? I was worried about you. After what happened with you uncle, you start ditching classes. At first, I thought things were worse. But when I put together the pieces, I almost couldn’t believe it.”

“So why didn’t you say anything?”

“I like to keep you guessing.”

He rolled his eyes, bumping her shoulder this time.

“So that’s why you had to resort to that fake confession before,” he muttered, referring to her ‘crush’.

“That wasn’t fake.”

He stopped in his tracks. Each syllable of her statement replayed in his head.

“Really?”

She stood in front of him. Face stern, voice firm. “Really.”

Background noise of the tourists and park music surrounded them. It was calming yet anxious feeling going through Peter. A Few months ago, him and this girl barley spoke. Now she had quickly become one of the most important people in his life.

“I wanted to tell you. It’s just-”

“I get it,” she said. When Peter gave her a questioning look, she shrugged. “You figured if people don’t know, then they stay safe. Not to mention, there’s never a right time to tell somebody you can crawl walls.”

“That’s…better than any explanation I can give.” He chuckled and rubbed his head. “So, are things gonna be weird now?”

MJ took a step back, narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down. “You still plan to wear NASA shirts and geek out over elements?”

“Definitely.”

She shrugged again. “Seem like the same Peter to me.”

Before he could respond, the sound of light explosions came from above. They looked up to see fireworks brightening the dark sky. The whole park stopped to observe the show. Phones were high from countless people filming and streaming patterns the lights formed. But Peter’s phone stayed in his pocket. Instead his hand reached for MJ’s, which she accepted. He decided, staring at the colorful explosions above the Cinderella Castle while sporting their championship jackets, was a memory for just the two of them.

What Ned said crossed his mind. He took a deep breath and faced the girl. If this was his story, then this was going to be his moment. He pulled MJ to him, closed his eyes, leaned in…and was pushed back.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Peter’s mouth went agape. He looked up at the remaining crackles in the sky and back down at MJ.

“I thought-”

“What, you thought this was the part of the script where you save the day and get rewarded with the girl? This ain’t the 80’s Peter. Step your game up.”

MJ crossed her arms. Peter was willing to bet the cliché’ romantic scenery would be enough for most girls. But then again, MJ wasn’t most girls. And that’s why he liked her, she was a constant challenge. Challenge accepted.

“Michelle Jones, I like you. Give me a chance and I promise not to do any cliche dates. That means no school dances, too expensive for teens dinners, mini golf or bowling. I’m a hand holder,” He grasped her hand to prove the point. “Get used to it.” Her lip quivered, beginning to stretch into a smile. “I believe technology exists for a reason. So, I will call you, a lot. And if I’m on patrol and see you getting hurt, I will rescue you. That is a non-negotiable. So, what do ya think, want me as a boyfriend?”

“Throw bowling back in the mix, and you got a deal.”

“You bowl?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m the best bowler you’ve ever seen.”

“Aunt May’s gonna love you.”

She giggled. Michelle Jones actually _giggled_. A dozen different ways to tease her ran through Peter’s mind but he didn’t bother. He saw how she was again adapting his habit and rubbing her head, meaning she had more to say.

“So, I wouldn’t be a good girlfriend if I kept secrets…”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

She sighed, “Going back to the story, I was suspicious, but had no proof. So at the dance, after you left I followed Ned to the computer lab and heard him talking about the Vulture. I hid when I heard someone coming and he got busted. When everyone left, I saw what he was working on and got in touch with Happy. He snitched to Tony.”

“How come I never heard about this.”

“Don’t blame her, kid.”

The voice was unmistakable. Even though he hadn’t head it in weeks, but he knew instantly who it belonged to. He turned to see Tony Stark, dressed up as usual in a full suit and tie. Under most normal circumstances, Peter would be ecstatic to see him. But considering the conversation with MJ, he was stunned while putting the pieces together in his mind.

“Happy mentioned you’d be at the pirate ride. Good job stopping the smuggling so quickly,” Tony said.

Peter looked back and forth between MJ and Tony. “Mr. Stark-”

“She wanted to tell you right away. But I swore her to secrecy. Well, that and I paid a good $250 dollars. By the way young lady, you got a future in business. I haven’t lost a negotiation in years.”

MJ slid her hands into her jacket pockets and stood next to Peter. “Just be glad I was in a generous mood.”

“Why would you make her do that?” Peter asked, starting to get mad.

Tony sighed. “Because last time we talked, you told me you wanted to take some time to be _Peter_. And since Spider-Man disappeared from Queens for a while, I thought that’s what I thought you were doing. I didn’t want to ruin that for you.”

The anger subsided. Tony listened this time and in a weird way, Peter was grateful. He did need that time away from being Spider-Man. If MJ had confronted him about it right away, he probably would have been more torn than he already was.

“Peter!”

Blinded by his own excitement, Ned ran past Tony straight up to his friends. “Bro, Space Mountain is awesome! Except Betty got sick.”

MJ scoffed, “Lightweight.”

“So, how’s it going with you two?”

Peter and MJ looked at each other briefly before looking away bashfully. “We’re all caught up,” she said taking his hand.

“Great! Now we can finally get back to the branding.”

“Branding?”

“Yeah bro. This script ain’t gonna sell itself. So what do you like better, _The Amazing Spider-Man_ or _The Spectacular Spider-Man?”_

“I like where your head’s at,” Tony chimed in. “Ever thought about a career in marketing?”

Ned finally looked up and saw him. He couldn’t speak, so he just nodded with a cheesy grin.

“Hmm _Spectacular_ rolls off the tongue, but nobody says that word,” MJ commented. “Let’s just keep it simple with the _Amazing_.”

“Hey, I got one,” Peter spoke up. “ _The Ultimate Spider-Man_.”

“Na, you can’t pull that off.”

“What?”

“I’m just saying,” she said rubbing his palm. “We should stick with a title that sums up who you are. Short, sweet, and simple. _Amazing_.”

“Those backhanded compliments are gonna be a regular part of this relationship, aren’t they?”

“Hey, they’re compliments.”

He chuckled and squeezed her hand a little more. Hard to believe it but he actually pulled it and now was a superhero with a girlfriend. He was already looking forward to more of these banter moments with her.

Too bad the moment was cut short by the sound of Tony clapping his hands together.

“Alright, that’s enough fun. The time has come Peter. Thor called with a new potential threat. All of the Avengers are needed.”

A thought sparked in his mind. “So I really am an Avenger?”

“Always have been. Now come on kids. I got the jet waiting.”

The day was getting even better. It reminded Peter of the last time he was supposed to meet the Avengers but chose not to in favor of getting his personal life grounded first. Now he felt like he had done that. But was he really ready to announce himself to the world?

“Wait, Mr. Stark. What about-”

“What, you still wanna do the whole secret identity thing? Come on Peter, that sounds like an overused plot from an outdated comic script. Look around, everyone knows who the Avengers are, and we’re doing just fine.”

Tony beat him to the punch and he made a good point. Following that, he felt a nudge on his arm.

“Peter, as your honest girlfriend, I have to say. You’re really bad at keeping secrets.”

From the other side, Ned placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah bro. Not sure how much longer we can keep that up. Seems like people keep finding out pretty easily.”

That was another good point.

“Plus, if you do this then we can extend the script with the rest of the Avengers! Our brand will be the next Walt Disney.” Ned looked at Tony anxiously. The response came in an instant.

“You’re hired.”

“YES!”

Pushing pass Ned’s spaz attack, Tony stood in front of Peter with a stern expression.

“Look, none of us can tell you what to do. You have to make a decision. Can you be Peter Parker and Spider-Man at the same time, or do you need to keep your lives separate?”

It was a good question, one he had been thinking about for weeks. Peter thought about the adventures he had gone on and all the criminals he put away. The duality the superhero life had brought him was bitter sweet experience. But it was his life. There was nothing left to decide.

“We’re one in the same. I’m ready.”

“Great! We’ll just have to stop by Queens first and pick up Miles.”

“Miles?”

Tony motioned for them to follow him while pulling out his phone. “Yeah, I’ll let MJ fill you in on the flight over. By the way how do you like the nick-name I gave her?”

_My friends call me MJ_

The memory dawned on Peter. “That’s where that comes from?” he asked his girlfriend, who was busy digging in her bag. Tony answered for her.

“Michelle Jones is a good name But all the greats were named MJ. The player, the singer, and now our new official Avengers reporter.”

Peter turned and stood face to face with MJ’s camera.

 “Say Cheese!”

_Click_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I re-watched the movie, I felt the characters and performances really carried the film. It wasn't a Spider-Man origins story but more of a Peter Parker development story. It seemed to me that Peter had a good life before Spider-Man being active and successful at school, yet he was unsure of himself and thought he was nothing without the suit. I used this story to explore that duality of the two identities especially when he had to deal with the responsibilities at the end. Hope you enjoyed the journey. 
> 
> Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts. All feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> All feedback is appreciated.
> 
> Get at me on Tumblr: @[classic-vision](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/classic-vision)


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